Terror in Tokyo subway: Aum Shinrikyo's attack (1995)

On a grey morning, March 20, 1995, thousands of commuters in the Tokyo subway noticed a strange, pungent smell. Some coughed, their eyes itched, and a woman collapsed with convulsions on the platform. Within minutes, chaos spread through Kasumigaseki and Nagatachō stations, near Japan's Diet building. Unknowingly, the passengers had become victims of one of history's most shocking acts of terrorism, carried out by the cult Aum Shinrikyo, which believed in the end of the world and an impending apocalypse. This article uncovers Aum Shinrikyo's path from a seemingly harmless yoga group to a cult responsible for mass murder, using chemical weapons against civilians in a desperate attempt to provoke the prophesied apocalypse.

Shoko Asahara: From Matsumoto to cult leader (1955-87)

It all began with Chizuo Matsumoto, born in 1955 in Yatsushiro, Japan. Matsumoto, who suffered from congenital glaucoma and was declared legally blind at age 12, had ambitions that far exceeded his physical limitations. His physical disability, however, fuelled a megalomania that would cost over 100 people their lives. After trying his hand as an acupuncturist and medicine salesman, in 1984 he founded 'Aum Shinsen no Kai', a group that combined yoga with Eastern spirituality. During a visit to the Himalayas in 1987, Matsumoto claimed to have achieved full enlightenment. He adopted the name Shoko Asahara, 'The Golden Morning Light Lord'. His teachings evolved into a dangerous mix of Tibetan Buddhism, Nostradamus's prophecies, and Christian eschatology. Shoko Asahara proclaimed himself both Buddha and Christ – the only one who could save humanity from the impending apocalypse.

Aum Shinrikyo: Status, armament, and deadly weapons (1989)

In 1989, Aum Shinrikyo obtained official religious status in Japan – a decision the Japanese authorities would later bitterly regret. With tax benefits secured, Shoko Asahara built a parallel social structure within the cult. He appointed 'ministers' for science, intelligence, and construction, and established a secret factory in the Kamikuishiki area. Here, cult members experimented with deadly chemical weapons like sarin gas and VX gas. Simultaneously, key figures such as Seiichi Endo and Masami Tsuchiya worked on developing nuclear weapons, partly through attempts at uranium mining in Australia. Aum Shinrikyo's recruitment methods were cunning and often involved manipulation. They targeted young, highly educated Japanese academics, often from elite universities, who were seeking meaning in a materialistic world. Through isolation, sleep deprivation, and the use of LSD, Shoko Asahara systematically broke their will and secured their loyalty.

Cult's first victims: Murder of Tsutsumi Sakamoto in Yokohama

The first wave of violence and crimes from the cult began in 1989. Lawyer Tsutsumi Sakamoto, who was working to help families free members from Aum Shinrikyo's grip, was considered a threat. At 3:07 AM on November 5th, six Aum members broke into his home in Yokohama. Tsutsumi Sakamoto was struck on the head with a hammer, injected with potassium chloride, and strangled. His wife Satoko was beaten to death, and their one-year-old son Tatsuhiko received a lethal poison injection. The bodies were dismembered and hidden in metal drums in three different prefectures – a gruesome act that testified to the cult's systematic and brutal methods.

Terror rehearsal: Aum Shinrikyo's attack in Matsumoto 1994

In June 1994, Aum Shinrikyo tested their deadliest chemical weapon for the first time in the city of Matsumoto. They parked a truck equipped with an improvised sarin gas spreader near a judge's residence. The goal was to eliminate judges who were to preside over a lawsuit against the cult. However, the wind shifted, and the toxic sarin gas spread to nearby residential areas. Eight innocent people died as a result of this terrorist attack, and over 500 were seriously poisoned. One woman remained in a coma for 14 years before dying in 2008, bringing the death toll for the Matsumoto incident to nine.

Mass murder in Tokyo metro: Aum Shinrikyo's gas attack (1995)

Shoko Asahara's ultimate plan culminated at 8:00 AM on March 20, 1995. Five teams from Aum Shinrikyo, each carrying plastic bags filled with liquid sarin, were dispatched to carry out a coordinated terrorist attack on Tokyo's busiest metro lines. Each bag of sarin was carefully wrapped in newspapers, and the perpetrators were equipped with sharpened umbrellas to puncture them. Yasuo Hayashi, one of the perpetrators, carried a double dose. When he disembarked at Kodemmacho Station, he left behind three leaking bags of sarin. The gas evaporated instantly and spread like an invisible death machine through Tokyo's subway system. Passengers vomited, their eyes watered, and several collapsed in convulsions on the platforms. In a blind panic, a train driver continued to the next station, further spreading the deadly sarin gas. Thirteen people died in this mass murder, including metro employees who heroically tried to remove the sarin bags with their bare hands. Over 6,200 people suffered permanent injuries, many with chronic nerve problems and vision loss. Images of victims tumbling unconscious from the trains in Tokyo shocked the entire world and underscored the brutality of this chemical weapons attack.

Aftermath: Raids, arrests, executions of top leaders

The Japanese police struck 48 hours later with an extensive raid on Aum Shinrikyo's headquarters in Kamikuishiki. There, they found stockpiles of sarin gas sufficient to potentially kill 4.2 million people. Over 200 cult members were arrested, including Shoko Asahara himself, who had sought refuge in a secret bunker. The subsequent trials spanned decades. In 2018, 23 years after the Tokyo attacks, Shoko Asahara and 12 other leading members of Aum Shinrikyo were executed by hanging for their roles in the terrorist acts and mass murders. But the legacy of Aum Shinrikyo lives on. The cult split in 2007 into the groups Aleph and Hikari no Wa, the latter led by Fumihiro Joyu, who claims to have broken with the violence of the past. Japanese authorities continue to monitor both groups closely under the country's special anti-terrorism legislation.

Victims and perpetrators: Fates in Aum Shinrikyo's shadow

Behind the statistics of mass murder and poisonings lie unimaginable personal tragedies. One example is 29-year-old Mii Yasumoto, a promising medical student from Matsumoto, whose life was destroyed by the 1994 sarin gas attack. Or Shizue Takahashi, the widow of a metro worker killed in Tokyo, who has fought for victims' rights for decades following the terror. Perhaps most frightening, however, are the stories of the cult's own members, who underwent extreme manipulation. Like Kazuaki Okazaki, who began as an idealistic physics student but ended up participating in the murder of the infant Tatsuhiko Sakamoto. Or Masami Tsuchiya, the brilliant chemist whose scientific expertise was perverted to produce chemical weapons and death on an industrial scale for Aum Shinrikyo.

Lessons: Fanaticism dangers and Japan's anti-terror laws

Aum Shinrikyo revealed a frightening truth: Fanaticism and pseudoscience, combined with the charismatic manipulation of a leader like Shoko Asahara, can lead to mass murder and terror without state support. The cult's attempts to acquire nuclear weapons in Russia and develop its own plutonium show how close Aum Shinrikyo came to causing even greater catastrophes, potentially with chemical weapons of an even deadlier calibre or even nuclear materials. In Japan, the Tokyo terrorist attack led to profound reforms. The Act on Religious Corporations was tightened, giving authorities better means to scrutinize the finances and activities of potentially dangerous cults. However, the debate on the balance between religious freedom and national security, especially concerning cults and extremist groups, continues in Japan. Aum Shinrikyo's story, with its background in Shoko Asahara's manipulation and apocalyptic prophecies, stands as a grim example of how charismatic leadership can lead ordinary people to commit heinous violence and terror.

Legacy: Is Aum Shinrikyo still a threat in Japan 2024?

Although Shoko Asahara's ashes were handed over to his daughter in 2024, following his lengthy trial and eventual execution, the question remains: What will happen to the estimated 1,500 followers of the cult and its offshoots like Aleph, who might still believe in his prophecies of apocalypse? Only time will tell if the shadow of Aum Shinrikyo and their chemical weapons terror has completely vanished from Japan, or if similar forms of extremism are merely waiting to re-emerge under a new name and with new, manipulative prophets.

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