Shizue Takahashi, who lost her husband in the 1995 subway sarin gas attack, places flowers at a memorial stand at Kasumigaseki Station to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the attack by Aum Shinrikyo cult members, on Saturday. Photo: KYODO/Pool
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26th anniversary of Aum subway gas attack observed in Tokyo

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‘Rest in Peace’ for all the victims. Wishing for peace and solace for the survivors and families.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

No comments?

I remember it like it were yesterday.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

P. SmithToday  04:59 pm JST

A great read about Aum is Cult at the end of the World. It details the rise of Aum, the NPA’s failure to take action despite being begged to do so by people kidnapped by Aum, the attack, and its aftermath. It’s sickening how many chances the NPA had to take action that would have prevented the gas attack.

I think there are two reasons why the NPA were reluctant to take action against AUM.

AUM bribed many politicians. You don't get permission to import 2 Russian military helicopters (for the purpose of spraying sarin) without high-level support, for example.

Kometo, run by the Buddhist Soka Gakkai, and a member of the government at the time was sensitive to issues of religious freedom and resisted more aggressive action against AUM.
0 ( +4 / -4 )

"Komeito, run by the Buddhist Soka Gakkai, and a member of the government at the time was sensitive to issues of religious freedom and resisted more aggressive action against AUM."

Pulling things out of thin air.

Aum's animosity towards the Soka Gakkai is well documented. Some Aum members had tried to assassinate Soka Gakkai leaders earlier, and the initial plan for that fateful day was to wrap sarin gas vials in Soka Gakkai newspapers so that suspicion falls on them instead of Aum.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Japanese domestic attacks against each other -terrible...

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

EvilBuddhaToday  05:55 pm JST

"Komeito, run by the Buddhist Soka Gakkai, and a member of the government at the time was sensitive to issues of religious freedom and resisted more aggressive action against AUM."

Pulling things out of thin air.

Aum's animosity towards the Soka Gakkai is well documented. Some Aum members had tried to assassinate Soka Gakkai leaders earlier, and the initial plan for that fateful day was to wrap sarin gas vials in Soka Gakkai newspapers so that suspicion falls on them instead of Aum.

Your knowledge of this subject is far superior to mine. I admit I probably got this one wrong.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

My daughter was born just a few days before, normally I took the exact time Hibiya subway to go to see her in the morning.

That morning my mother call to ask how everything was going so luckily I missed my train.

Unfortunately one of my neighbours was a worker for the subway and he reportedly carried out the bag from the train and died.

To rub salt in the wound of his grieving widow, the remaining cult members using a false name rented the empty commercial space on the ground floor of her building so they could be close to The Tokyo Detention House where their leader was being held.

For several weeks we had a neighbourhood volunteer group trying to watch them while the owner tried evicting them for hiding who they were and the real reason they rented the space.

This poor woman had to walk past these monsters every day after losing her husband.

Anyone that was or still is part of that cult and it's renamed version should be locked up and never see the light of day again.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I believe that a dozen cult members were executed for their crimes. Allow me to praise the Japanese justice system.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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