Japan Set to Continue Monitoring Aum Cult

Japan is expected to extend the surveillance period on the religious cult once called Aum Shinrikyo, which carried out the deadly 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system, Kyodo News reported yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 17).

A 1999 law allows authorities to monitor groups that pose a threat to the public and requires the groups to report names and addresses of senior and regular members. Japan’s Public Security Investigation Agency in November requested another three-year extension of its authority to monitor the group — which is now using the name Aleph — after the current watch period expires at the end of this month.

The agency claims cult founder Shoko Asahara still wields influence over the group. Even after being sentenced to death, Asahara is considered Aum’s leader and the group maintains “a doctrine to recommend killing people as a code of conduct,” the agency said.

A formal decision on the extension is expected to be released on Monday, according to Kyodo (Kyodo News, Jan. 18).

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