Latest news with #PublicSecurityIntelligenceAgency
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Japanese authorities fear sarin death cult founder's son is continuing his legacy
Japanese authorities have warned that the son of a cult leader behind the deadly sarin nerve gas attack in Tokyo's subway network in 1995 is now the leader of a successor group. At least 14 people were killed and more than 5,000 were left sickened after the cult's members released sarin nerve gas in the capital's subway trains on 20 March in 1995. The cult, Aum Shinrikyo or Supreme Truth, was disbanded and its founder Chizuo Matsumoto, known as Shoko Asahara, and 12 of his disciples were executed in 2018 for carrying out the attack. Yet other groups continue to spread Shoko Asahara's apocalyptic messaging. One of the most prominent is known as Aleph. and it continues to attract followers despite facing repeated restrictions from the government for failing to declare its assets. Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) on Tuesday announced that the 31-year-old second son of Shoko Asahara, a shadowy figure whose true identity is not known, has been 'involved in organisational decision-making and is leading Aleph's operations'. On Tuesday, the PSIA said that the man has been leading Aleph's operations for about a decade with help from Asahara's 66-year-old widow Tomoko Matsumoto. By 2017, the son had begun referring to himself as a 'second-generation guru', reported The Japan Times. The agency also confirmed that the group has 20 facilities around Japan with an estimated 1,190 followers as it published its latest report into Aleph's status and activities. Officials in Japan have prohibited the use of the group's 16 facilities across the country and designated the residence used by Asahara's son and widow in Saitama prefecture's Koshigaya city as the new Aleph site. It is also known as the 'Shin-Koshigaya facility', the report added. The PSIA is now looking to force the son-mother duo to disclose the property's purpose and activities held there. Around 1,600 former members still operate under renamed groups and have ignored an order to pay damages to survivors and bereaved families. During the 8am attack in 1995, five cult members got on separate train cars on three subway lines converging at Kasumigaseki, Japan's government centre, each dropping bags of sarin onto train carriage floors. They punctured the bags with umbrellas, releasing the gas inside the train cars which had hundreds of people inside. Within minutes, commuters poured out of the trains onto the platforms, rubbing their eyes and gasping for air. Some collapsed. Others fled into the streets where ambulances and rescue workers in hazmat suits gave first-aid Shizue Takahashi lost her husband, a deputy station master, in the attack. She expressed alarm that Asahara's second son has been identified as his de facto successor. 'Asahara's second son was born and raised within the Aum Shinrikyo cult and has been indoctrinated during that time by his father's teachings,' Ms Takahashi told the South China Morning Post. She claimed he 'personally desires to seize power and rebuild the organisation'. 'If he becomes as powerful within the cult as his father was, I believe he will try to expand it and create a new version of Aum Shinrikyo,' she told the SCMP.
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Japanese authorities fear sarin death cult founder's son is continuing his legacy
Japanese authorities have warned that the son of a cult leader behind the deadly sarin nerve gas attack in Tokyo 's subway network in 1995 is now the leader of a successor group. At least 14 people were killed and more than 5,000 were left sickened after the cult's members released sarin nerve gas in the capital's subway trains on 20 March in 1995. The cult, Aum Shinrikyo or Supreme Truth, was disbanded and its founder Chizuo Matsumoto, known as Shoko Asahara, and 12 of his disciples were executed in 2018 for carrying out the attack. Yet other groups continue to spread Shoko Asahara's apocalyptic messaging. One of the most prominent is known as Aleph. and it continues to attract followers despite facing repeated restrictions from the government for failing to declare its assets. Japan's Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) on Tuesday announced that the 31-year-old second son of Shoko Asahara, a shadowy figure whose true identity is not known, has been 'involved in organisational decision-making and is leading Aleph's operations'. On Tuesday, the PSIA said that the man has been leading Aleph's operations for about a decade with help from Asahara's 66-year-old widow Tomoko Matsumoto. By 2017, the son had begun referring to himself as a 'second-generation guru', reported The Japan Times. The agency also confirmed that the group has 20 facilities around Japan with an estimated 1,190 followers as it published its latest report into Aleph's status and activities. Officials in Japan have prohibited the use of the group's 16 facilities across the country and designated the residence used by Asahara's son and widow in Saitama prefecture's Koshigaya city as the new Aleph site. It is also known as the 'Shin-Koshigaya facility', the report added. The PSIA is now looking to force the son-mother duo to disclose the property's purpose and activities held there. Around 1,600 former members still operate under renamed groups and have ignored an order to pay damages to survivors and bereaved families. During the 8am attack in 1995, five cult members got on separate train cars on three subway lines converging at Kasumigaseki, Japan's government centre, each dropping bags of sarin onto train carriage floors. They punctured the bags with umbrellas, releasing the gas inside the train cars which had hundreds of people inside. Within minutes, commuters poured out of the trains onto the platforms, rubbing their eyes and gasping for air. Some collapsed. Others fled into the streets where ambulances and rescue workers in hazmat suits gave first-aid Shizue Takahashi lost her husband, a deputy station master, in the attack. She expressed alarm that Asahara's second son has been identified as his de facto successor. 'Asahara's second son was born and raised within the Aum Shinrikyo cult and has been indoctrinated during that time by his father's teachings,' Ms Takahashi told the South China Morning Post. She claimed he 'personally desires to seize power and rebuild the organisation'. 'If he becomes as powerful within the cult as his father was, I believe he will try to expand it and create a new version of Aum Shinrikyo,' she told the SCMP.
Yomiuri Shimbun
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Aum Successor Aleph May be Hit with Stronger Regulation; Failed to Report Assets, Positions of Founder's Son, Widow
The Public Security Intelligence Agency on Tuesday requested the Public Security Examination Commission to take stronger regulatory action against Aleph, the primary successor of the Aum Supreme Truth cult, over its failure to make the necessary reports to the agency stipulated by law. The agency for the first time identified the second son of Chizuo Matsumoto, the cult's founder executed in 2018, as leading Aleph's organizational operations. Currently, the group is subject to its fifth regulatory measure. The agency has now requested a harsher measure be imposed, which would include a ban on acquiring new land and buildings, over the Aleph's failure to make the reports required by the Law on the Control of Organizations Which Committed Indiscriminate Mass Murder. According to the agency, its investigation confirmed that the second son is an officer of Aleph calling himself the second 'guru,' and has been involved in Aleph's decision-making and leading the organization's management since around 2014. Matsumoto's widow is also an officer of the organization and is said to be in a position to assist the son. The agency also noted that an apartment in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, where Matsumoto's second son and widow are said to reside, is being used as the base of Aleph's activities. Aleph has since 2000 been subject to observation under the law, which requires it to report to the agency every three months on the organization's membership and assets. However, according to the agency, Aleph failed to report its base in Koshigaya and the fact that Matsumoto's second son and widow were either members or officers of the organization. The agency stated that the reason for the fresh request for another recurrence prevention measure is that 'it has become difficult to ascertain the extent of the risk of indiscriminate acts of mass murder.' Aleph received its first regulatory measure in 2023 for failing to properly report the status of its assets and other matters. Under the fifth such measure, aside from residential use, the group has been prohibited from making use of land or buildings at either all or part of 16 of its 20 facilities nationwide, as well as from accepting donations. In addition to the restrictions already in place, the current request seeks to prohibit the acquisition or lease of land or buildings in the 12 prefectures where group facilities are located, including Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka. The current disposition expires on Sept. 20, and the Public Security Examination Commission will decide whether to approve the request. According to the agency, Aleph had about 1,190 members in Japan as of the end of April.
Japan Times
7 days ago
- Japan Times
Son of executed Aum Shinrikyo founder identified as Aleph leader
The Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) has identified the second son of Shoko Asahara — the founder of the now-defunct Aum Shinrikyo cult — as the de facto head of Aleph, the group regarded as Aum's successor, it announced Tuesday. The unnamed 31-year-old son of Chizuo Matsumoto, who was commonly known as Shoko Asahara, has been 'involved in organizational decision-making and is leading Aleph's operations,' the PSIA said in a statement. The agency has made moves to tighten restrictions on the group's activities. Matsumoto, who was executed in 2018, was the mastermind behind a series of deadly crimes carried out by Aum Shinrikyo, including the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that killed 14 people and injured thousands. The agency also filed a request with the Public Security Examination Commission to extend for another six months the current restrictions on Aleph, including the prohibition of facility use, as a preventive measure under the law governing organizations responsible for indiscriminate mass murder, citing the group's failure to comply with its reporting obligations. As part of the request, authorities moved to prohibit the use of the group's 16 facilities nationwide and designated the residence of the second son and his 66-year-old mother — Matsumoto's widow — in the city of Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, as a new Aleph site, dubbed the 'Shin-Koshigaya Facility.' The agency is seeking to force the pair to disclose the property's purpose and activities. The PSIA formally identified the mother as an Aleph member acting in a supervisory capacity to assist her son. This marks the first time the second son has been officially designated a member of the organization. Authorities are increasingly wary of his growing influence. According to the agency and related sources, Matsumoto designated his second son as one of his successors while still alive. Since around 2014, the son has reportedly been involved in Aleph's decision-making processes and ritual ceremonies. By around 2017, he had begun referring to himself as a 'second-generation guru.' On March 26, PSIA officials attempted to conduct an on-site inspection of the residence, but were denied entry. The Saitama Prefectural Police, acting on a criminal complaint from the agency, subsequently raided the home and discovered several tens of million yen in cash. Authorities are investigating the origin of the funds and suspect Aleph may have been providing financial support to the household. As of the end of April, Aleph had at least 1,190 followers, according to the PSIA. The group has seen a slowdown in recruitment efforts in recent years, attributed to increased restrictions on the use of its facilities and the departure of key senior members. Translated by The Japan Times
Yomiuri Shimbun
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Ex-Aum Cult Leader's 2nd Son Likely Heads Successor Group Aleph; Further Regulatory Action to Be Requested
The Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) suspects the second son of Chizuo Matsumoto, the executed founder of the Aum Supreme Truth cult, is effectively leading Aleph, the cult's primary successor group, agency officials told The Yomiuri Shimbun. The PSIA will ask the Public Security Examination Commission to extend regulatory action against Aleph as early as next week under the Law on the Control of Organizations Which Have Committed Acts of Indiscriminate Mass Murder. According to the sources, Matsumoto, who was executed in 2018, is said to have designated his second son as one of his successors. The PSIA has monitored Aleph, suspecting that the group is trying to install the son as its leader. The agency investigated the group and concluded that the second son is an Aleph member holding the position of 'guru.' Matsumoto's wife is also believed to be an Aleph member. Aum has split into three major groups: Aleph, Yamadara no Shudan and Hikari no Wa. All three organizations are considered to be influenced by the teachings of the late Matsumoto, and as such, are subject to monitoring under the aforementioned law. Aleph has been constantly subjected to regulatory action under the same law since 2023 for failing to properly report its members and assets as required by the law. The cult is currently subject to the fifth such measure, under which the use of land and buildings, excluding residential properties, and the acceptance of donations is prohibited. This measure is effective until Sept. 20. The PSIA will request a new preventive measure next week, and the commission will determine if it is necessary.
