This Tuesday, Kyoto Animation has opened a bank account to accept donations for the victims of the fire that recently ravaged their 1st Studio Building. According to the studio, the funds that will be deposited will go directly to the families of the deceased and injured in the fire. Below are the details:
Bank Name: The Kyoto Shinkin Bank
Swift: KYSBJPJZ
Branch Name: Minami Momoyama Branch
Branch Number: 048
Address: 16-50, Yosai, Momoyama-cho, Hushimi-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto-hu, 612-8016, Japan
Account Number: 0002890
Account Holder: Kyoto Animation, Co., Ltd., representative director Hatta Hideaki
Besides donations to the victims, the funds will also be used for rebuilding efforts, though it was not directly stated if it will be used to repair the old burned building or for the construction of a new one.
Sentai Filmworks has earlier set up a GoFundMe account for KyoAni, which you can access here. So far, Sentai’s GoFundMe has already raised a total of $2 million.
Kyodo News has also reported that identification of all 34 casualties through the use of DNA technology is already finished. Daisuke Okada, KyoAni’s lawyer for this incident, has stated that the studio does not plan to release the names of the casualties until after their funerals are over. This is to give time for their families to grieve privately.
So, PSA to all: there are already a number of Facebook posts, tweets, and Reddit threads detailing names of casualties from the fire, which mostly comprise of directors of our favorite anime series. THESE NAMES ARE NOT YET CONFIRMED. As stated above, KyoAni will only release the names of the casualties once funeral services for them are finished. As much as possible, do not share these information as they are not yet confirmed. I know we are all worried for our favorite directors, but until we hear confirmation from KyoAni, let’s not assume they’re dead, shall we?
For individuals wishing to contribute donations, it is likely easiest to contribute directly to a GoFundMe campaign, instead of sending a wire transfer yourself. The GoFundMe setup by Sentai is a safe bet as they already work directly with the animation studio. For corporations and sizeable donations, you will need to ask your bank about sending an international wire transfer.