Earlier today, there were Japanese news reports of a single-story wooden house catching fire in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. According to anime maker Studio Nue, the house’s inhabitants were Kazutaka Miyatake and his wife Tomoko.
Kazutaka Miyatake created mechanical designs for some of the most iconic anime ever, including Space Battleship Yamato, Macross, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed, and more. He is a co-founder of Studio Nue, the studio responsible for the Macross franchise.
According to TBS, the fire broke out on the afternoon of May 22, with 12 fire and rescue vehicles arriving on the scene. It took around two hours to put out the blaze, which was most intense around the kitchen, and the cause is still being investigated. A 60-year-old woman, named Tomoko Watanabe, was rescued from the house and rushed to the hospital, where she later died. Her 71-year-old husband was able to escape but ended up in the hospital for smoke inhalation.
Via Twitter, Haruka Takachiho of Studio Nue explained that the couple was actually Kazutaka Miyatake and his wife Tomoko. “Miyatake is still in the hospital, but is not in critical condition,” he wrote. Takachiho added that wanted to express his deepest condolences to Miyatake’s wife.