The government submitted a bill to the Diet on Tuesday that will clamp down on Aum Shinrikyo by allowing the Public Security Investigation Agency to regularly supervise and restrict the activities of the cult's followers.
The bill is expected to clear the current session with the support of the Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partners, the Liberal Party and New Komeito, and will possibly take effect by the end of this year.
It does not specifically name Aum but says the purpose of the legislation is to impose controls on any group whose members have carried out or attempted "indiscriminate" murders and whose leader still holds a strong sway over its members.