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Japan marks subway attack anniversary, worries about cult
March 20, 1998
Subway workers pray for the victims of the gas attack
Web posted at: 9:47 a.m. EDT (0947 GMT)TOKYO (CNN) -- People in Japan paused on Friday to mark the third anniversary of the deadly terrorist gassing on Tokyo's subways, while the cult believed responsible for the attack showed signs of a resurgence.
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto was among those who paid their respects and remembered the day when members of the Aum Shinri Kyo, or Supreme Truth, cult released the nerve gas sarin during a Tokyo morning rush hour. The attack killed 12 people and injured thousands.
Scenes from the attack 423KB/11 sec./160x120
QuickTime movie"It is a terrifying crime that can never be allowed to happen again," Hashimoto said, after placing flowers before an altar set up at Kasumigaseki subway station in the heart of Japan's central government district.
Subway officials and others offered prayers at six subway stations. "We pray for the souls of the 12 victims of the sarin gas attack, and also applaud the courageous acts of Officers Takahashi and Hishinuma, who sacrificed their own lives to rescue thousands of others," said Kunio Shimojo of the Tokyo Metropolitan Subway. Those two subway officers were among the dead.
The anniversary awakened painful memories and fears that the Aum Shinri Kyo cult that orchestrated the attack might be experiencing a resurgence.
The attack brought immediate notoriety to what was then a little-known cult. More than 400 members were arrested after the gassing, and others are still at large. The National Police Agency says about half of those released from prison have returned to the cult, prompting worries of a revival.
Supreme Truth cult is growing
Tokyo subway gas attack on March 20, 1995 The doomsday cult is also said to be attracting new members -- even while its founder, Shoko Asahara, is locked in a Tokyo detention center, sitting through a trial expected to last for years.
"I'm frightened to hear the cult's numbers are increasing, even after Shoko Asahara was arrested," one woman on a Tokyo street said. "They could be thinking of doing it again, even now."
And a man noted, "Youth crime is on the rise and the economy is in bad shape. Our society is becoming very unstable. I think that's what's behind this resurgence."
The cult's activities are supported by the sale of products on the Internet, plus what authorities call a booming computer retail business. That's especially distressing for those who still relive the horror of March 1995. Shizue Takahashi's husband was one of the subway workers who were killed.
"Many people still suffer both mentally and physically from the tragedy. We can never forget this incident," she said.
Victims still suffer
In a recent survey, about half of the 285 victims who are outpatients at a Tokyo hospital still suffer from fatigue. Others complain of chronic headaches, dizziness, irregular breathing, nausea or loss of appetite.
So, while three years have passed since that day, the pain and suffering for those who remember persists -- compounded by fears that the cult not only lives on, but may be gaining strength.
Tokyo Bureau Chief Marina Kamimura and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Japan guru says he's innocent of nerve gas attack - April 24, 1997
- Japan cult planned U.S. gas attacks, member testifies - March 23, 1997
- Japan's subway gas attack trial thrown into confusion - October 18, 1996
- Japan cult leader hears tales of terror - September 5, 1996
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