Citizens who are justifiably wary of the lingering threat to public safety posed by the Aum Shinrikyo cult welcome the bill seeking to control its activities now under consideration in the Diet. It is expected to be enacted into law before the end of the year. The numerous criminal activities with which the cult leaders stand charged and for which some have already been found guilty, in particular the sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 that killed 12 people and injured another 5,500, have left Aum with few defenders outside of its own dedicated membership. The bill submitted to the Diet by the government following automatic Cabinet approval therefore is seen by many as a necessary, if somewhat risky, move.
Although the proposed legislation is already being referred to as the "Aum control law," commentators have noted that it avoids specifically naming the cult. Instead, it seeks to supervise and regulate any group whose members have committed "indiscriminate mass murder" or whose leaders have been behind such killings and who still exert a strong influence over group members. At this time, only Aum Shinrikyo would seem to qualify, and few would dispute the need for closer surveillance of its apparent nationwide resurgence. As some constitutional scholars have already observed, however, there is a potential for abuse of citizens' basic human rights if the provisions of the law are not rigorously followed.
Soon after the sarin gas attack gave terrifying notice of the steps that Aum founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, appeared ready to take to make his bizarre predictions of Armageddon come true, questions were raised about the police's failure to prevent the tragedy. There were abundant indications that the cult was engaged in activities belying its claim to be devoted only to religious study and practice. Was it an inability to recognize the obvious danger signs, or were the existing laws insufficient to allow timely action? Did the religious element prompt police timidity?