Anime studio hit by deadly fire is known for skill, fan base – Kyoto
It may not be as famous as Japanese anime legend Studio Ghibli, but Kyoto Animation has many core fans and is known as a team of skilled animators that provides top-quality work for others and can produce its own hits, such as “Lucky Star,” ”K-On!” and the “Haruhi Suzumiya” series. The company hit by a deadly fire on Thursday, which left 33 people dead, also has a unique founding history.
The company was started in 1981 by a former animator who recruited housewives from her neighbourhood in Uji city south of Kyoto, where she married and moved from Tokyo, the centre of the animation industry. Yoko Hatta previously had worked at Mushi Production, a studio for the works of anime legend Osamu Tezuka, who created Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion.
The company better known as KyoAni doesn’t have a major presence in Japan but has won gradual recognition while providing secondary animation work for major productions. Their work included a 1998 “Pokemon” feature that appeared in U.S. theatres and a “Winnie the Pooh” video.
While providing work for top artists, the company has been able to make and feature its own stories in Japanese TV anime and comic series. Some of its mega-hits include “Lucky Star” in 2008, “K-On!” in 2011 and “Haruhi Suzumiya” in 2009. The company was preparing for a planned release of a new feature animation film “Violet Evergarden,” a story of a woman who professionally writes letters for clients.
The company’s 160 employees work at studios in Uji and Kyoto and an office in Tokyo. The company also trains aspiring animators, produces and sells novelty goods featuring its characters. A store selling such items is near the studio damaged by Thursday’s fire in which authorities say 33 people were killed.
The attack shocked animation fans across in and outside Japan. Even Prime Minister Shinzo Abe mourned for the victims as he tweeted that he was speechless at the magnitude of the damage. Anime fans expressed anger, prayed and mourned for the victims on social media. A cloud-funding site was set up to help the company rebuild. The fire started when a 41-year-old man screaming “You die!” burst into the studio, doused it with a flammable liquid and ignited it.
Japan to conduct tests for caregivers in 4 Asian nations this fall – Overseas
Japan will conduct tests to work as foreign caregivers in the country in Cambodia, Nepal, Myanmar and Mongolia this fall under a new visa program, according to government officials. Japan’s labour ministry said last week that the exams aimed at securing more workers in the short-staffed sector will be held between October and November.
Since introducing the new visa system on April 1, Japan has already carried out tests for potential caregivers in the Philippines. Exam preparations are under way for those in China, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, according to an official at the ministry. The visa system was introduced as part of Japan’s efforts to cope with a chronic labour shortage due to its rapidly greying population and declining birthrate.
Foreigners with certain Japanese language and job skills can apply for a Specified Skilled Worker No. 1 resident status, which will allow them to work in 14 sectors, such as nursing care, construction and farming, for up to five years in total. Applicants for certified caregivers can get the status if they pass a Japanese language proficiency exam, which is required for all 14 sectors, as well as two other tests to evaluate nursing care skills and Japanese technical words. The exams are scheduled for Oct 27-30 in Phnom Penh, Oct 27-28 and Nov 5-6 in Kathmandu, Oct 30-Nov 1 and Nov 4-7 in Yangon and Nov 14-17 in Ulaanbaatar.
In the Philippines, Japan has held five nursing care tests since April, and will conduct them again in three cities including Manila from August through November. So far 166 have passed the exams.
