Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway

The Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, usually referred to in the Japanese media as the 地下鉄サリン事件 (chikatetsu sarin jiken "subway sarin incident") was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by members of the religious group Aum Shinrikyo on March 20, 1995. In five coordinated attacks, the conspirators released sarin gas on several lines of the Tokyo Subway, killing twelve people and injuring some six thousand more. The attack was directed against trains passing through Kasumigaseki and Nagatacho, home to the Japanese government. This was (and remains, as of 2005) the most serious attack that has occurred in Japan since the end of the Second World War.

AUM/Aleph today

The sarin gas attack was the most serious terrorist attack in Japan's modern history. It caused massive disruption and widespread fear in a society that had previously been considered virtually free of crime. AUM attempted four more gas attacks after this one, employing various substances. All were unsuccessful.

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Shortly after the attack, AUM lost its status as a religious organization, and many of its assets were seized. However, the Diet (Japanese parliament) rejected a request from government officials to outlaw the sect altogether because the officials could not prove that AUM posed a threat to society. The Public Security Committee, an organization similar to America's CIA, received increased funding to monitor the group. In 1999, the Diet gave the Committee broad powers to monitor and curtail the activities of groups like AUM that have committed "indiscriminate mass murder" and whose leaders have been accused of "holding strong sway over their members."

Related Topics:
Diet - Parliament - CIA

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About twenty of AUM's members, including Asahara himself, are either standing trial or have already been convicted for crimes related to the attack. As of July 2004, eight AUM members have received death sentences for their roles in the attack.

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The group reportedly still has about 2,100 members, and continues to recruit new members under the new name Aleph. Though the group has renounced its violent past, it still continues to follow Asahara's spiritual teachings. Members operate several businesses, though boycotts of known Aleph-related businesses, in addition to searches, confiscations of possible evidence and picketing by protest groups, have resulted in closures.

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AUM/Aleph remains on the US State Department's list of terrorist groups, but has not been linked to any terrorist acts. Aleph has announced a change of its policies, apologized to victims of the subway attack, and established a special compensation fund. AUM members convicted in relation to the attack or other crimes are not permitted to join the new organization, and are referred to as "ex-members" by the group.

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Many Japanese municipal governments have refused to allow known members to register as city residents; Aleph has successfully sued some of these governments, and Human Rights Watch has included criticism of these government actions in some of its annual reports. Some businesses refuse to sell goods or provide services to known Aleph followers; some landlords refuse to rent to members; and some cities have spent public money to persuade Aleph members to leave town, but attempts to ban the group have failed.

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