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July 13, 2025
 

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SHOKO ASAHARA

LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Jul 16, 2018
Let's discuss the death penalty in Japan
While the execution of cult founder Shoko Asahara may offer a degree of closure on a string of crimes that shocked Japan, it also creates an opportunity for further debate about the death penalty.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 6, 2018
Aum Shinrikyo guru Shoko Asahara and six other cult members hanged for mass murders
Shoko Asahara, founder of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo and mastermind behind the deadly 1995 nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway system is executed.
EDITORIALS
Jul 6, 2018
Despite hangings, nation remains mystified by Aum
The execution of Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara and six other members of the doomsday cult convicted of numerous deadly crimes, including the 1995 sarin gas attack on Tokyo subway trains, may provide a sense of closure for the victims, their families and others who were affected by the Aum members'...
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 6, 2018
Aum victims and bereaved express sense of closure, disappointment and confusion over executions
The execution of Aum Shinrikyo leader Shoko Asahara and six others from the doomsday cult leaves some feeling empty, gives others a sense of closure.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 6, 2018
Profiles of top Aum Shinrikyo members, including six still on death row
A central figure in the Aum Shinrikyo cult as a chemistry expert, Masami Tsuchiya, 53, was sentenced to death in 2004 for his role in the production of sarin that was used in deadly gas attacks in Nagano Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 6, 2018
Japanese have mixed opinions on execution of Aum leader Shoko Asahara and six accomplices
A wide-range of reactions were heard Friday to news of the executions of Shoko Asahara and six former senior members of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo — which carried out the deadly 1995 sarin nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway system — with some saying it was good the sentences were finally carried...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jul 6, 2018
Capital punishment in Japan: Unscheduled executions and hangings witnessed only by prison officials and a priest
Japan and the United States are the only two members of the Group of Seven advanced economies that have the death penalty.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / Deep Dive
Mar 19, 2018
1995 Aum sarin attack on Tokyo subway still haunts, leaving questions unanswered
Hitoshi Jin describes his younger brother spending the booming 1980s "cult surfing," exploring what new religions had to offer to fill the gaping spiritual void left by a childhood scarred by an abusive father.
JAPAN / Society
Mar 17, 2018
The other side of crime: 'Victims left behind'
The 1995 Aum sarin gas attacks in Tokyo laid the foundations for the creation of support networks to help protect those affected by the incident.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Dec 9, 2015
Filmmakers explore Japan's infamous doomsday cult, Aum Shinrikyo, with mixed results
Today the saga of Aum Shinrikyo — a doomsday cult that killed 13 Tokyo commuters and poisoned many others with sarin gas in 1995 — seems like something out of a bad manga. What could have possessed so many well-educated middle-class people, to follow Shoko Asahara, a deranged guru who taught a mishmash...
EDITORIALS
Mar 20, 2015
Aum's crimes still raise questions
Twenty years on, people are still trying to fathom why so many people — including youths from elite backgrounds — were drawn to a doomsday cult that carried out a deadly sarin gas attack in downtown Tokyo.
JAPAN / History
Mar 14, 2015
Cult attraction: Aum Shinrikyo's power of persuasion
Ahead of the 20th anniversary of Aum Shinrikyo's deadly sarin attack in Tokyo, we talk to three people with intimate knowledge of the cult in a bid to find out how it was able to exert so much influence over its followers.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 9, 2014
Seven years sought for Aum's Kikuchi over parcel bombing
Prosecutors demand a seven-year term for former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Naoko Kikuchi for her role the 1995 parcel bomb attack on Tokyo City Hall.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 30, 2014
Former Aum member denies being bomber
Former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Naoko Kikuchi said Friday she had no idea that cult superiors had roped her into a plot to build and send a parcel bomb to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government headquarters in 1995.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 8, 2014
Ex-Aum cultist pleads not guilty
Former Aum Shinrikyo cultist Naoko Kikuchi pleads not guilty to attempted murder for her role in the 1995 bombing of a Tokyo City Hall office.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 7, 2014
Hirata gets nine years for role in Aum kidnapping of notary
Former Aum Shinrikyo fugitive Makoto Hirata is sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in the 1995 kidnapping and confinement of Tokyo notary Kiyoshi Kariya and two other crimes.
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 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.
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.
Tokyo hit by torrential rainfall at rush hour
People line up at Shibuya Station in Tokyo as they try to avoid the heavy rain on Thursday.
Foreign drivers in Japan to face tougher license conversion rules from October
According to the National Police Agency, there were 75,905 people who converted their foreign driver’s license to a Japanese one in 2024, up from 48,885 in 2019.
Nissan clinches $4.5 billion bond deal after orders soar
Nissan Motor has raised $4.5 billion through a junk bond sale in U.S. dollars and euros, part of which carries a record-high coupon rate.
Chinese fighters came within 30 meters of Japanese spy aircraft, Tokyo says
A Chinese JH-7 fighter jet makes an near an Air Self-Defense Force YS-11EB surveillance aircraft over the East China Sea this week in this image released Thursday.
What Japanese politics could look like after Upper House election
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who heads the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (center) waves to attendees as he departs after delivering a campaign speech in Yokohama on Sunday.
New IG Arena set to dial down temperature at Nagoya Basho, in a good way
With IG Arena getting glowing early reviews as the Nagoya Basho’s replacement venue, it may be a while before fans wax nostalgic about the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium.
Once a niche, anime is now mainstream content for Netflix and other streaming services
Though Netflix remains the dominant choice globally for anime viewers, Amazon Prime Video has also invested heavily in anime, steadily adding titles to their catalogue.
NGOs condemn rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric ahead of Upper House vote
Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya holds a board that reads "Japanese First" in Tokyo on July 2. In a joint statement on Tuesday, eight human rights nongovernmental organizations described the far-right party's stance as "hate speech."
Japanese dancers find a home abroad at Houston Ballet
“Giselle” lead Yuriko Kajiya (center), performing with Connor Walsh as Albrecht, is one of six Japanese dancers at Houston Ballet.
From the Abes to the Ohtanis: How siblings shape athletic development
Olympic judoka Uta Abe (second from left) and Hifumi Abe (second from right) with their brother Yuichiro (center) and their parents. “I’m always consciously trying to be a good older brother,” Yuichiro said.

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