Thirty Years Later, Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack Survivors Still Seek Justice

Thirty years have passed since the horrific sarin nerve gas attack on Tokyo’s subway system, but the survivors and families of the victims are still fighting for justice. On March 20, 1995, members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult unleashed sarin gas on the capital’s subway trains, resulting in the deaths of thirteen people and sickening thousands. The attack remains one of the most shocking atrocities in Japan, a nation renowned for its low crime rates.

The cult, known as Aum Shinrikyo, which translates to "Supreme Truth," has since been dismantled. Its founder, Shoko Asahara, and twelve of his disciples were executed in 2018. However, approximately 1,600 former members continue to operate under different group names, and they have disregarded an order to compensate survivors and bereaved families.

Shizue Takahashi, whose husband, a deputy station master, died in the attack, said, "My life is still being ruined by Aum and its successor groups. We need to carry on and not let the memories fade." Takahashi’s husband was just beginning to enjoy retirement with her after they raised their three children when the tragedy occurred.

The attack took place at 8 a.m. during the morning rush hour. Five cult members boarded separate train cars on three subway lines converging at Kasumigaseki, the government center of Japan. Each member carried bags of sarin and punctured them with umbrellas, releasing the gas into the train cars.

Commuters poured out of the trains onto the platforms within minutes, rubbing their eyes and struggling to breathe. Some collapsed, while others fled onto the streets, where paramedics and rescue workers in hazmat suits provided first aid.

Kazumasa Takahashi, Shizue’s husband, was unaware that the puddle he was cleaning on the subway car floor was sarin. He collapsed while removing a bag—a sacrifice that some survivors believe saved lives—and never regained consciousness.

The attack resulted in over 6,000 people becoming ill. A fourteenth victim passed away in 2020 after battling severe aftereffects.

According to Yuji Nakamura, a lawyer representing the survivors and bereaved families, the subway gassing happened because of a failed police investigation that did not connect the cult to previous crimes. "It could have been prevented," he stated.

Two days after the gassing, Tokyo police, using a caged canary to detect poison, raided Aum’s headquarters near Mount Fuji. They discovered Asahara in a secret compartment. The cultists lived together, trained, and produced sarin at the headquarters.

Asahara, whose birth name was Chizuo Matsumoto, founded Aum Shinrikyo in 1984. The cult combined elements of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, and yoga, attracting young people who were disillusioned with materialism. Asahara taught that death could elevate their spirits and justified killing as a virtue.

Followers paid to drink Asahara’s bathwater and wore electrical headgear to synchronize their brainwaves with the guru’s. He prophesized an imminent apocalypse that only true believers would survive.

Asahara enlisted doctors, lawyers, and scientists from Japan’s top universities as his closest aides. They acquired land and equipment using donations from followers and revenues from yoga classes and health food businesses. Asahara’s scientists created sarin, VX, and other chemical and biological weapons.

In 1989, cult members murdered Tsutsumi Sakamoto, a lawyer who opposed the cult, as well as his wife and baby boy. After their loss in the 1990 parliamentary elections, their criminal activities escalated. In 1994, a sarin attack in Matsumoto, central Japan, resulted in eight deaths and over 140 injuries.

Aum was responsible for the deaths of 27 people in more than a dozen attacks, culminating in the subway gassing. Asahara envisioned overthrowing the government and saw the attacks as part of a plan to hasten Armageddon.

Shizue Takahashi attended the majority of the Aum criminal trials and has campaigned for government assistance. She was instrumental in the passage of legislation to support crime victims, as well as government benefits of 3 billion yen ($20 million) for over 6,000 survivors and bereaved families of Aum crimes.

The government has also enacted legislation prohibiting sarin production and possession, as well as restricting the activities of groups associated with mass killings. Since then, police have established nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons units and increased training.

Aleph, Aum’s primary successor, has disregarded a court order to pay 1 billion yen ($6.7 million) in compensation to survivors and bereaved families. The group has allegedly hidden billions of yen in income from yoga and spiritual seminars.

Many of the subway gassing survivors continue to suffer from health problems and trauma, according to support groups.

Takahashi and others recently urged Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki to do more to expedite compensation by Aleph and keep them under strict surveillance.

Survivors and their advocates assert that lessons have not been adequately shared with the public.

Shoko Egawa, a journalist and Aum crimes expert, claims that attention on the group has mostly focused on its crimes rather than teaching people how to avoid dangerous cults. "There is still a lot to learn from the Aum problems, including how they attracted followers, so that we can prevent people from getting their lives ruined by cults," Egawa said.

Takahashi recently launched a website that compiles articles and comments by survivors, lawyers, and writers, including Haruki Murakami’s 2007 article about his 1997 book "Underground."

The cult had over 10,000 followers in Japan and 30,000 in Russia and other countries at its height. While Aum has disbanded, the Public Security Intelligence Agency, which monitors the groups, estimates that about 1,600 people affiliated with Aleph and two smaller groups in Japan continue to practice Asahara’s teachings.

Minoru Kariya, whose father was killed by Aum members in early 1995 while attempting to persuade his sister to leave the cult, believes authorities must do more to address the threat. "It’s scary that they still exist and are operating as organizations and recruiting new followers," he stated.