Compromise reached with Aum over Sakamoto slaying suit

Four relatives of lawyer Tsutsumi Sakamoto, who was allegedly murdered with his wife and son by members of Aum Shinrikyo, have opted for a compromise with the cult in their 490 million yen damages suit now being deliberated by the Yokohama District Court, it was learned Thursday.

The compromise will be formalized in mid-March following a court hearing today for defendant Tomomitsu Niimi, 33, a senior Aum member, the sources said.

According to a lawyer for the plaintiffs, Aum's receiver is expected to acknowledge that the plaintiffs are entitled to about 500 million yen in damages, including interest. But Aum can only afford to pay the four plaintiffs -- including Sachiyo Sakamoto, the 66-year-old mother of the late lawyer -- 20 percent of that amount, the lawyer said.

As a result, the amount of compensation to be paid will total about 100 million yen. "Compromising with Aum can make it easier for Aum's receiver to assess the amount of the cult's credit and facilitate damages payments to victims of other cases, including the Tokyo subway sarin case," the lawyer said.

Sachiyo Sakamoto and three other close relatives of the murdered lawyer and his wife filed the 490 million yen damages suit with the Yokohama District Court in December 1995. Named in the suit are the religious cult, Aum founder and leader Shoko Asahara, Niimi, and four other cult members allegedly responsible for killing Sakamoto and his family.

At the time of the incident, Sakamoto was helping parents who wanted their children back from the sect and was preparing to file a lawsuit against the group. Asahara and five other Aum members have been indicted on charges of killing the Sakamotos in November 1989.

By March 1997, the district court's decision to order Asahara and five defendants to pay the damages in full had been finalized as they had failed to counter arguments put forth by the plaintiffs' side. The cult and Niimi, however, have been disputing facts concerning the case in which Sakamoto and his family were murdered at their Yokohama apartment in November 1989.