Where is aum shinrikyo

It became increasingly violent, kidnapping, injuring and killing opponents, and even using chemical and biological agents in other attacks.

In the months after the March attack, the group made several failed attempts to release hydrogen cyanide in various stations. The subway atrocity shocked Japan, a country that prides itself on low crime rates and social cohesion. It also raised questions about police failings to investigate previous allegations of criminal activity by the group. Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami wrote a non-fiction book about the incident titled Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche, and interviewed 60 victims.

Scores of Aum members have faced trial over the attack, and 13 were sentenced to death, including Asahara. The last to be tried in connection with the subway attack was Katsuya Takahashi, arrested in June after being on the run for 17 years.

He was sentenced to life in jail. Cult member Makoto Hirata was also jailed in for the abduction of a year-old man and his involvement in two bomb attacks. The group went underground after the Tokyo attack, but did not disappear, eventually renaming itself Aleph. Joyu claimed to have distanced his group from worship of Asahara. Aum Shinrikyo is designated as a terrorist organisation in the US and many other countries, but Aleph and Hikari no Wa are both legal in Japan, albeit designated as "dangerous religions" subject to heightened surveillance.

Some estimates say they have 1, followers between them, with reports the number is slowly growing. In March , Montenegro expelled 58 foreigners suspected of association with Aum Shinrikyo. They were gathered at a hotel they had rented in the former Yugoslav region. Some newspapers also expressed concern, drawing an analogy to the repressive conditions of wartime.

The law, opponents said, harked back to the Peace Preservation Law of , under which a number of religious and other groups were suppressed. Mainichi Shimbun labeled the ruling "sound," saying that it showed "reason is in good shape," while Asahi Shimbun , another leading daily, praised the commission for looking at the facts calmly. An editorial in the Asahi went so far as to call into question the very existence of the law and the PSIA itself.

But the PSIA did survive and over the next few years appeared to strengthen its position. In early , a newspaper in Otawara, a city 80 miles north of Tokyo, got a scoop that some members of Aum were moving to town. Local anti-Aum groups began a series of angry protests that received extensive national coverage.

Local governments are legally obliged to accept all such applications. The anti-Aum activities in Otawara triggered similar movements elsewhere in Japan.

Communities and their local assemblies requested that a national law be drafted to deal specifically with Aum. After police arrested two Aum members in September on suspicion of imprisoning another member, reports in the press reflected the dominant view that Aum was still dangerous. Holding that the recent actions were no different from previous ones committed by Aum members, the paper went on to argue that the main problem was their continuing connection to the incarcerated guru and his dangerous doctrines.

The conservative daily Sankei Shimbun claimed that the only way to get rid of Aum was to pass specific laws against it. Were new measures required? Yuji Nakamura is a lawyer and vice president of Aum Shinrikyo Hanzai-Higaisha Shien Kiko Support organization for victims of crimes committed by Aum Shinrikyo , which continues to collect compensation funds from the successor groups. The film features English subtitles. Coastal rowing finding smooth sailing in ocean waters off Japan.

Aichi police trust vast old-school database to find cars tied to crime. Haruki Murakami and other writers read from books before selected audiences at the new Haruki Murakami Library. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.

Twitter Facebook. Share Tweet list. The passenger at the door died. Passengers sickened by the sarin nerve gas are taken into rescue vehicles outside Tokyo Metro Tsukiji Station on March 20, Asahi Shimbun file photo. Related News Director to shoot film on Japanese peddlers slain by vigilantes in January 13, The group consists of two factions, both of which have recruited new members, engaged in commercial enterprises, and acquired property. In July , Russian authorities arrested a group of Russian AUM followers who planned to detonate bombs in Japan as part of an operation to free Asahara from jail.

In August , a Japan Airlines flight to the United States turned back after receiving a bomb threat demanding the release of Asahara. In March , Montenegro expelled 58 people associated with AUM found holding a conference at a hotel in Danilovgrad. One month later, Russian authorities carried out dozens of raids on 25 AUM properties and opened a criminal investigation into an AUM cell.

Strength: Recent estimates suggest the group has around 1, followers.