The Tokyo District Court sentenced a one-time senior Aum Shinrikyo figure to eight years in prison Monday for his role in the 1989 murder of a 21-year-old cultist and the cremation of a follower who died during training in 1993.
Judge Masazo Ogura handed down the sentence to Toshiyasu Ouchi, 48, former head of Aum's Russian branch. Prosecutors had sought a 10-year prison term.
According to the court, Ouchi conspired with Aum founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, and other cult members to strangle Aum member Shuji Taguchi, 21, at a cult facility in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture, in February 1989, after learning of Taguchi's intention to leave the cult.