A Nagano Prefectural Assembly committee Thursday approved appointing as a public safety commissioner a man initially branded as the prime suspect in the 1994 fatal nerve-gas attack in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, that was later blamed on Aum Shinrikyo.

The committee on police affairs approved Gov. Yasuo Tanaka's proposal to appoint company employee Yoshiyuki Kono, 52, as a commissioner. In this capacity, Kono will advise the prefectural police.

The appointment will be officially decided at the assembly's plenary session Friday, but the committee's approval effectively means he will get the job.