Friday's sentencing of former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Makoto Hirata to nine years in prison was surprisingly harsh, possibly a result of amateurish anger felt by lay judges at the social injustice, a well-known expert said after the ruling.
Shoko Egawa, a veteran freelance journalist who has scrutinized the Aum trials for years and who herself was once attacked by its members due to her outspoken criticism of the cult, said Hirata, 48, doesn't deserve nine years behind bars. The ruling, she said, also lacked balance when compared with verdicts given to other cultists.
The trial marked the first time an Aum member was tried under the lay judge system introduced in 2009.