Memorial events were held March 20 to mark the third anniversary of the deadly Tokyo subway nerve gas attack, which key members of Aum Shinrikyo have been accused of carrying out.
Survivors and relatives of victims of the attack held news conferences in Tokyo in an effort to increase what they consider to be waning public awareness of their situation; many still suffer from the aftereffects of the gassing and complain of little official support.
Others submitted a petition to government offices in the Kasumigaseki district regarding the doomsday cult's ongoing bankruptcy procedures. At Kasumigaseki Station early March 20, Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, along with Transport Minister Takao Fujii, laid flowers and delivered a eulogy for the victims of the March 20, 1995, nerve gas attack, which claimed 12 lives and injured thousands. "I understand that a lot of people are still hospitalized and receiving outpatient treatment," Hashimoto said. "This sort of thing must never happen again." Two subway employees were killed at the station.