Thirty years after the fatal sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway network, survivors and their families who have lost their loved ones are still seeking justice.
When members of the cult released sarin nerve gas on a subway train in the capital on March 20, 1995, 13 people died and thousands became ill when members of the cult released sarin nerve gas. The attack is one of the most shocking atrocities in Japan, a country known for its low crime rates.
Twenty years later, the survivors talk about the Japanese Salingu Gas attack and how it affected his life
The cult, Aum Shinrikyo or the best truth, then disbanded. Its founder, Shoko Asahara and his 12 disciples, were executed in 2018.
However, the 1,600 former members still operate under the renaming group, ignoring orders to pay damages to survivors and families.
Takahashi Shiju lost her husband, the master of the assistant station, in the attack. The couple had begun to enjoy time for themselves after raising three children when the tragedy struck.
“My life is still ruined by AUM and its successor group,” said Takahashi, 78.
People collapsed breathlessly due to the air
At 8am during the morning rush hour, five cult members boarded separate trains on three subway lines converging on Japan's government center, Kashmigaseki, each dropping sarin bags on the train's floor. They drilled holes in their bags with umbrellas and released gas inside the train.
Within minutes, commuters poured from the train onto the platform, rubbing their eyes, and breathing the air. Some have collapsed. Others fled to the streets where ambulances and rescue workers in Hazmato's lawsuit were rescued.
Subway signs and centre top can be found at Koden Macho Station. This was affected by a fatal sarin nerve gas attack in Tokyo 30 years ago, and passengers will come out of the exit on Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Takahashi Kazuma had no idea that the puddle he had been cleaning on the floor of a subway car was sarin. He collapsed when he removed the bag – a sacrifice that some survivors say saved lives – and never woke up.
The attack got sick of over 6,000 people. The 14th victim died in 2020 after fighting a serious late period.
The subway gasting came after a failed police investigation failed to link the cult to previous crimes, says Nakamura Hirokuni, a lawyer for the survivors and their families. “That could have been prevented,” he said.
Two days after gasting, Tokyo police were carrying canary caged to detect poison, raiding Aum's headquarters near Mount Fuji, where the cults lived together, training and producing sarin. Hemp h was found in a hidden compartment.
Apocalyptic cult
Born in Matsumoto in 1955, Asaha founded Aum Shinrikyo in 1984. He taught that death can elevate their spirits and justify murder as a virtue.
Followers who paid to drink shallow water feng shui were wearing electric headgears they believed they synchronized brain waves with the guru. He prophesied the imminent book of Revelation. It was only true believers who survived.
Asato gathered doctors, lawyers and scientists from Japan's top universities as his closest aides.
We used donations from our followers and proceeds from yoga classes and health food business to purchase land and equipment. Hemp h scientists have developed and manufactured sarin, VX and other chemical and biological weapons.
In 1989, its members killed Sakamoto Tsutsumi, a lawyer who opposed the cult, his wife and boys. Their criminal acts escalated after their defeat in the 1990 parliamentary elections. A sarin attack in Matsumoto, Japan in 1994 killed eight people and injured more than 140 people.
Overall, Aum killed 27 people in over 12 attacks that culminated in subway gasting. It was part of the Haha plot to speed up Armageddon, imagining overthrowing the government.
I'm still looking for relief
Takahashi Shiju attended most of the AUM criminal trials. She lobbyed for government support and won the enactment of laws to support government benefits in crime victims and government benefits ($20 million) to the families of over 6,000 survivors and families of AUM crime families.
The government also enacted laws prohibiting the production and possession of sarin, restricting the activities of groups related to mass murder. Police have since established nuclear, biological and chemical weapons units and forced them to train.
Aum's main successor, Aleph, ignored a court order to pay survivors and their families a billion yen ($6.7 million). The group is said to be hiding billions of yen in revenue from yoga and spiritual seminars.
Many subway gushing survivors still suffer from health issues and trauma, according to the support group.
Takahashi and others last week asked Justice Minister Suzuki to accelerate compensation by Aleph and do more to put them under a meticulous clock.
Survivors and their supporters say the lessons are not fully shared with the public.
Shoko Egawa, a journalist and expert on AUM crime, says that attention to the group focuses primarily on crime, rather than teaching people to stay away from dangerous cults. “There's still a lot to learn, such as how they attracted their followers, and that way we can prevent people from ruining their lives by cults,” Egawa said.
Takahashi recently launched a website that edits articles and comments by survivors, lawyers and writers, including a 2007 Murakami article on his 1997 book Underground.
Aum's Remnants
At its peak, the cult boasted over 10,000 followers in Japan and 30,000 in Russia and other countries. Although AUM has broken up, around 1,600 people belonging to Aleph and two small groups in Japan still practice Mahara's teachings, the Public Safety Intelligence Agency, which monitors the group, said.
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Minor Kariya, whose father was killed by AUM members while his father was about to quit his sister's cult in early 1995, said authorities needed to do more to tackle the threat.
“It's scary that they still exist, they're working as an organization and recruiting new followers,” he said.
