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July 04, 2025
 

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AUM SHINRIKYO

JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 17, 2014
Aum cultist Hirata reiterates plea of ignorance
Aum Shinrikyo ex-fugitive Makoto Hirata repeated Monday that he had no prior knowledge about the cult's 1995 plans to kidnap and confine Tokyo notary Kiyoshi Kariya as he testified for the first time in his ongoing trial.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 10, 2014
Hirata feared arrest in police chief shooting: girlfriend
Ex-Aum fugitive Makoto Hirata hid for 17 years because he feared being blamed for the 1995 shooting of the national police chief if he surrendered, his girlfriend testifies.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 5, 2014
Cultist says Hirata unaware of bomb
A condemned Aum Shinrikyo member testifies in the Tokyo District Court that fellow cultist Mau00adkou00adto Hiu00adrau00adta had no foreknowledge of the 1995 bombing of a professor's condominium.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 3, 2014
Death-row cultist puts Hirata in kidnap frame
A condemned Aum Shinrikyo killer testified Monday against ex-fugitive cultist Makoto Hirata, contradicting the defendant's claim that he was not aware before the fact that he was going to help in the 1995 abduction and confinement of a Tokyo notary.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 21, 2014
Aum convict corroborates Hirata's claims
A senior Aum Shinrikyo member on death row appears in the Tokyo District Court and downplays the involvement of Makoto Hirata in the 1995 abduction and confinement of a Tokyo notary.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 18, 2014
Hirata and Saito: love on the run
The trial of Makoto Hirata, which commenced Thursday, is expected to reveal a number of new facts about the former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive, but of most interest to investigators will be how he managed to stay hidden for so long.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 18, 2014
The New Year's prank that was anything but
Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Makoto Hirata's final day of freedom was nothing short of embarrassing for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 18, 2014
How a yoga school became a doomsday cult
Aum Shinrikyo's criminal activities began in the late 1980s and culminated in the 1995 nerve-gas attacks on Tokyo's subway system. The group was founded in 1984 by Shoko Asahara, the babbling, half-blind guru whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 17, 2014
Cultist testifies Hirata knew of kidnap plan
Aum Shinrikyo killer Noboru Nakamura testifies against ex-fugitive cultist Makoto Hirata, saying the defendant, despite his denial, had prior knowledge that he would be involved in the 1995 abduction of a Tokyo notary.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 16, 2014
Cultist downplays guilt as trial opens
Makoto Hirata, one of the last Aum Shinrikyo cultists yet to be tried, on Thursday played down his involvement in the 1995 kidnapping of a Tokyo notary, telling the Tokyo District Court in his first trial session that he only drove the getaway car and had no inkling of what was to unfold.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 3, 2013
Photos of opponents found stabbed in Aum facility
Photographs of the director general and other officials of the Public Security Intelligence Agency were found stabbed through with a knife during an on-site inspection of a facility connected to Aum Shinrikyo, according to the agency.
EDITORIALS
Jan 19, 2013
Violation of criminal procedure
The Tokyo District Court ruled Tuesday in favor of the religious group Aleph, formerly known as Aum Shinrikyo, in a lawsuit Aleph had filed against the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and a former head of the Metropolitan Police Department.
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 22, 2011
Last trial brings dark Aum era to end
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by condemned killer Seiichi Endo, lowering the curtain on the trials over the cult's heinous crimes, which began in the 1980s and culminated in the 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2003
Asahara's lawyers blame murders on Aum disciples
Lawyers representing Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara argued Thursday that their client is innocent of masterminding a series of grisly crimes, including two fatal sarin gas attacks.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jun 27, 2002
Aum Shinrikyo officer Niimi given death sentence for role in 26 murders
Senior Aum Shinrikyo figure Tomomitsu Niimi was sentenced Wednesday to death for his role in 26 murders and other crimes committed by the doomsday cult, including two deadly sarin attacks.
CULTURE / Books
May 13, 2001
When the nightmare broke through: "Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche"
UNDERGROUND: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche, by Haruki Murakami. Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Philip Gabriel. Random House, Vintage International; 366 pp., $14.
JAPAN
Dec 29, 1999
Aum trials tail off as Asahara's day nears
While the trial of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara has proceeded at a snail's pace, with prosecutors examining only nine out of the 17 counts that he faces to date, his disciples' trials have entered their final stages before the district court.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 1998
Police bungling alleged in probe of Matsumoto gas attack
Police investigating the June 1994 sarin gas attack in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, improperly collected evidence, lawyers for Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara argued in court Thursday.
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Onosato's yokozuna promotion causes rare quirk in new sumo rankings
Newly promoted yokozuna Onosato holds a copy of the latest banzuke ranking in Anjo, Aichi Prefecture, on Monday.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Over 900 earthquakes strike Tokara islands in space of two weeks
A screenshot shows many quakes occurring in the Tokara islands over the past 30 days, in this image taken from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

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