Prosecutors on Monday demanded 15 years in prison for a former Aum Shinrikyo lawyer accused of conspiring to kill anticult lawyer Taro Takimoto in May 1994 by releasing sarin gas. Takimoto suffered minor injuries at the time.
Yoshinobu Aoyama, 39, stands accused of seven other charges, including defaming a company president, harboring Aum fugitive Takeshi Matsumoto and submitting false documents to local authorities.
In a statement read before the Tokyo District Court, prosecutors said Aoyama attempted to help the cult dodge its responsibility in the series of crimes by misusing his knowledge as a lawyer.