"Aum bio-attacks opened Pandora's box"

by Akihiko Misawa ("Daily Yomiuri," October 26, 2001)

Among the items found in the New Jersey apartment of one of the men suspected of taking part in the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the United States was a copy of a U.S. weekly magazine that featured a report on the 1995 sarin nerve gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system, according to a recent press report.
This news comes on top of the rash of incidents involving anthrax-tainted mail in the United States.
On Oct. 5, an American woman who was a passenger aboard one of the Tokyo trains attacked with sarin nerve gas described her harrowing experience at a U.S. House of Representatives hearing.
The Aum Supreme Truth cult, which is responsible for the sarin gas attacks, is one of 28 groups mentioned on a list of foreign terrorist organizations kept by the U.S. State Department.
The list, released Oct. 5, is updated every two years. The Japanese Red Army, a group that shook the world with its radical antiestablishment violence, has been taken off the list, but the Aum Supreme Truth cult remains on it.
This means that Aum, in the eyes of the U.S. government, should still be regarded as a highly dangerous terrorist organization even after the 1995 arrest of Aum leader Chizuo Matsumoto, also known as Shoko Asahara, and the change of the name of Aum to Aleph in January 2000.
It seems that the terrorist group headed by Osama bin Laden has carried out its terrorist activities following the model of crimes committed by Aum.
Investigations have shown that Aum had plans to stage terrorist attacks using not only chemical agents, such as sarin, VX gas and phosgene, but also biological weapons such as anthrax and botulin.
It is natural for the United States to have been highly alarmed by Aum's activities.
When seen from abroad, it seems difficult to understand why the cult is still allowed to continue its activities in this country despite the spate of appalling crimes it committed.
Aum embarked on its campaign of bioterrorism in April 1990.
In February that year, Matsumoto and other high-ranking members of the cult had all been soundly defeated in a general election and were on the verge of losing the support of cult adherents.
It was later reported that Matsumoto around that time drew in his horns for the first time, telling his associates it might be advisable to disband the cult.
It was the idea of resorting to bioterrorism that resuscitated Aum.
As part of his bioterrorism strategy, Matsumoto claimed to be a prophet at an Aum-sponsored seminar on Ishigakijima island, Okinawa Prefecture, telling those attending the seminar that there would be a horrific incident in Japan in the near future.
He went on to say that the only way they could survive was to join Aum and donate all their money and possessions to the cult.
To fulfill Matsumoto's prophecy of armageddon, Aum leaders spread botulinus bacilli in the area around the Diet building.
In 1992, the cult began culturing anthrax. The following year it spread the bacteria in an area in Tokyo, apparently with the aim of killing a large number of people.
Both the botulin and anthrax offensives ended in failure, since the cult was unaware that it had made nontoxic varieties that were used for cattle vaccination purposes.
Aum subsequently shifted to chemical weapons and began manufacturing sarin.
However, the cult did not abandon the idea of using biological weapons.
Immediately before the sarin attacks on the Tokyo subway system in March 1995, Aum members set up a timed device to sprinkle botulinus bacilli in the compound of the Kasumigaseki subway station, located near a large number of central government ministries and agencies. This plan failed because the timer on the device malfunctioned.
While the outcome of these attempts was not what the group expected, Aum was the first nongovernmental organization in the world to have employed bacilli, viruses and lethal chemicals for terrorist purposes.
The Aum incidents prompted many countries to address the threat posed by terrorist use of biological and chemical weapons by stockpiling vaccines and antibiotics, improving steps to counter biological weapons and taking other measures.
Japan, however, was markedly slow in taking such action.
Legislation was passed shortly after the Aum incidents, placing a ban on production, possession and use of sarin and other chemical weapons.
However, there is no law even today to prohibit the use of biological weapons.
At the time of the spread of anthrax by Aum members, prosecutors were unable to investigate the case because of the absence of an antibioterrorist law.
In addition, the government has done little since the Aum attacks to prevent another bioterrorist assault or to improve crisis-management systems in the event of such an occurrence.
Imagine what would have happened if the anthrax Aum made had been a highly toxic strain of the disease, instead of a harmless cattle vaccine.
We must face up to the fact that we ignored the potential gravity of Aum culturing anthrax until the outbreak of anthrax-laced mail in the United States.
Though somewhat slower off the mark than other countries, the government now is working all-out to put bioterrorist countermeasures in place.
However, it is still uncertain whether a medical institution, should it detect a case of infection caused by bioterrorism, would be able to convey the information accurately and without delay to law-enforcement authorities.
Furthermore, nobody knows exactly how many doctors in this country are capable of promptly making a diagnosis and treating such diseases as anthrax and smallpox.
Clearly, Aum opened a Pandora's box of bioterrorism six years ago, and the result has been tragic for the United States.
The Japanese have spent the past six years unaware of what the Aum incidents really meant, or pretending to be unaware of the potential threats involved.
Under the circumstances, no time should be wasted in readying ourselves to face up to the challenges of bioterrorism and chemical weapons.
We must not forget the terror and sense of crisis we had at the time of Aum's sarin attacks on the Tokyo subway system.
Misawa is a deputy editor of the city news department of The Yomiuri Shimbun.

"Asahara's lawyers request 1-yr hiatus "

("Yomiuri Shimbun," October 21, 2001)

Defense lawyers for the founder of the Aum Supreme Truth cult have requested that the Tokyo District Court adjourn the trial for a year to give them time to prepare their defense, judicial sources said Saturday.
The defense team said the adjournment is required to allow them to build a defense and select witnesses to appear for Chizuo Matsumoto, 46, who is also known as Shoko Asahara.
Prosecutors said the demand was "totally unacceptable."
The district court is unlikely to accept the adjournment request before Matsumoto's defense lawyers begin examining evidence and witnesses, the sources said.
The prosecution is not likely to finish presenting its case until the end of the year at the earliest. When it does, it will be the turn of the defense team, something that will be a focus of public attention.
According to the sources, Matsumoto's lawyers presented their request at a meeting with the district court judges and prosecutors earlier this month.
The defense team says it has not been able to have adequate communication with Matsumoto because he has frequently failed to turn up for meetings at an interview room at Tokyo Detention House, and when he did, he refused to answer their questions.
Therefore, the lawyers have had difficulty in compiling a defense strategy and in selecting witnesses.
About 5-1/2 years have passed since the trial began.
On Oct. 4, prosecutors questioned Seiichi Endo, 41, a former leading member of the cult, about the sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, completing their questioning regarding the facts in criminal charges brought against Matsumoto.

"Suita ordered to register Aum residents"

("Yomiuri Shimbun," October 13, 2001)

The Osaka District Court on Friday ordered the Suita municipal government in Osaka prefecture and Mayor Yoshio Sakaguchi to accept residence registrations of two followers of the Aum Supreme Truth cult and pay them a total of 400,000 yen in compensation for refusing to register them as residents.
Five similar cases have been brought into court by Aum members in Sanwamachi, Ibaraki Prefecture, Tokyo's Setagaya Ward, and other places since the cult carried out its sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in March, 1995. Friday's ruling was the first.
Presiding Judge Jun Miura said in his ruling, "According to the Basic Resident Registers Law, heads of villages, towns and cities retain no rights to reject residence registrations claiming that residents are assumed to pose threats to others. Therefore, their position was illegal."
The two cultists moved into Aum's Osaka branch in Suita around June, 2000, and submitted residence registration forms to the municipal government on July 11, 2000. However, a city official in charge of the registration rejected their forms saying they posed a potential threat to public welfare.

"Japan still hasn't learned from Aum anthrax attempt"

by Linda Sieg ("Japan Today," October 13, 2001)

TOKYO: Japan got a wake-up call nearly a decade ago to the threat of assaults using biological weapons against civilians when a doomsday cult tried to make their prophecies of Armageddon come true by dispersing anthrax.
Even so, experts say that Japanese officials failed to learn the lessons of the botched attempt by the Aum Supreme Truth cult.
"It is impossible to totally prevent such attacks ... but you can limit the impact," said Keiichi Tsuneishi, an expert on bio-terrorism at Kanagawa University.
"But in Japan, there is no overall system to deal with this."
Experts have been warning of the possibility of chemical or biological assaults for years, but concerns have mounted since the devastating Sept 11 attacks in America and the U.S.-led retaliation in Afghanistan.
In Florida, an employee of a publishing company died on Friday from exposure to anthrax and two more have tested positive for exposure to the bacteria.
The probe into the infection is now being handled as a criminal investigation, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.
The Aum cult made horrific history in March 1995 when its members released the deadly nerve gas sarin on crowded subways in Tokyo, killing 12 people and making nearly 6,000 ill.
What attracted rather less attention was the fact that Aum cult members had two years earlier sprayed anthrax into the air above their Tokyo headquarters. The fact that it was a harmless strain designed to be used as a vaccine for cattle prevented a disaster from occurring, Tsuneishi said.
"There were complaints from those living nearby about a strange smell," he said. "If this had been a strain from which a bio-weapon could be made, it would have been far more serious."
PERFECT WEAPON
Officials at Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases, who received a sample of the anthrax bacteria used by Aum after police raids in 1995, declined to comment.
But Northern Arizona University researcher, Paul Keim, who also obtained a sample, said the anthrax strain was a harmless one imported from the United States and designed for use as a vaccine for cattle, the Daily Yomiuri newspaper reported.
Anthrax has long been known as a disease of farm animals, and in its most common form - a skin infection - is not especially lethal.
But the bacteria that causes anthrax can form spores, which can be sprayed by something like a crop-dusting plane or released by a home-made aerosol.
Some experts have cited Aum's botched attempt as pointing to the difficulties of executing successful biological attacks.
"If Aum had taken more time and been more proficient it might have killed thousands or even tens of thousands," said an article which appeared in Jane's Intelligence Weekly in June 1999.
"In short, chemical, biological and nuclear weapons are harder for terrorists to obtain and to make than some reports would suggest," the article said.
TIGHTER CHECKS
Jolted into action by the Sept 11 attacks and the Florida anthrax cases, Japanese ministries have begun ordering research institutes to check up on the dangerous bacteria or viruses they possess, report on steps they are taking to control them, and tighten security as needed.
Tsuneishi said, however, that better coordination among ministries was essential, as was raising the consciousness of researchers themselves about potential for theft by terrorists.
In a display apparently intended to demonstrate preparedness, a counter-terrorism police unit recently enacted a drill before television cameras.
The unit was set up last year and has been doubled to 20 members following last month's attacks.
Japan's military, however, has been slow to boost readiness for possible biological attacks, in part due to the legacy of the Imperial Army's top-secret Unit 731, which conducted biological experiments on Chinese, Korean and Russian prisoners of war during World War II, analysts say.
"In general, the capacity to cope is very limited," defence expert Tomohisa Sakanaka told Reuters recently. "It has been thought that for the military even to do research on such things is itself dangerous...We have learned too much from history."

"Japan Aum Cult's Anthrax Attempt Was Wake-Up Call"

by Linda Sieg (Reuters, October 11, 2001)

TOKYO - Japan got a wake-up call nearly a decade ago to the threat of assaults using biological weapons against civilians when a doomsday cult tried to make their prophecies of Armageddon come true by dispersing anthrax.
Even so, experts say that Japanese officials failed to learn the lessons of the botched attempt by the Aum Supreme Truth cult.
``It is impossible to totally prevent such attacks ... but you can limit the impact,'' said Keiichi Tsuneishi, an expert on bio-terrorism at Kanagawa University.
``But in Japan, there is no overall system to deal with this.'' Experts have been warning of the possibility of chemical or biological assaults for years, but concerns have mounted since the devastating September 11 attacks in America and the U.S.-led retaliation in Afghanistan (news - web sites).
In Florida, an employee of a publishing company died on Friday from exposure to anthrax and two more have tested positive for exposure to the bacteria.
The probe into the infection is now being handled as a criminal investigation, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.
Japan's Aum cult made horrific history in March 1995 when its members released the deadly nerve gas sarin on crowded subways in Tokyo, killing 12 people and making nearly 6,000 ill.
What attracted rather less attention was the fact that Aum cult members had two years earlier sprayed anthrax into the air above their Tokyo headquarters.
The fact that it was a harmless strain designed to be used as a vaccine for cattle prevented a disaster from occurring, Tsuneishi said.
``There were complaints from those living nearby about a strange smell,'' he said. ``If this had been a strain from which a bio-weapon could be made, it would have been far more serious.''
PERFECT WEAPON
Officials at Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases, who received a sample of the anthrax bacteria used by Aum after police raids in 1995, declined to comment.
But Northern Arizona University researcher, Paul Keim, who also obtained a sample, said the anthrax strain was a harmless one imported from the United States and designed for use as a vaccine for cattle, the Daily Yomiuri newspaper reported.
Anthrax has long been known as a disease of farm animals, and in its most common form -- a skin infection -- is not especially lethal.
But the bacteria that causes anthrax can form spores, which can be sprayed by something like a crop-dusting plane or released by a home-made aerosol.
Some experts have cited Aum's botched attempt as pointing to the difficulties of executing successful biological attacks.
``If Aum had taken more time and been more proficient it might have killed thousands or even tens of thousands,'' said an article which appeared in Jane's Intelligence Weekly in June 1999.
``In short, chemical, biological and nuclear weapons are harder for terrorists to obtain and to make than some reports would suggest,'' the article said.
TIGHTER CHECKS
Jolted into action by the September 11 attacks and the Florida anthrax cases, Japanese ministries have begun ordering research institutes to check up on the dangerous bacteria or viruses they possess, report on steps they are taking to control them, and tighten security as needed.
Tsuneishi said, however, that better coordination among ministries was essential, as was raising the consciousness of researchers themselves about potential for theft by terrorists.
In a display apparently intended to demonstrate preparedness, a counter-terrorism police unit on Wednesday enacted a drill before television cameras.
The unit was set up last year and has been doubled to 20 members following last month's attacks.
Japan's military, however, has been slow to boost readiness for possible biological attacks, in part due to the legacy of the Imperial Army's top-secret Unit 731, which conducted biological experiments on Chinese, Korean and Russian prisoners of war during World War Two, analysts say.
``In general, the capacity to cope is very limited,'' defense expert Tomohisa Sakanaka told Reuters recently. ``It has been thought that for the military even to do research on such things is itself dangerous...We have learned too much from history.''

"Japanese Red Army dropped from U.S. terrorist list, Aum added"

(Kyodo News Service, October 5, 2001)

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell on Friday redesignated 25 groups, including Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network and Japan's AUM Shinrikyo cult, as terrorist groups while dropping the Japanese Red Army from the list.
Most of the 25 redesignated groups ''have carried out murderous attacks on innocent people since their last designation in 1999,'' Powell said in a statement.
They include Palestinian groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah in addition to al-Qaida led by bin Laden, accused by the United States of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.
Commenting on the removal of the Japanese Red Army from the list, Powell said, ''We have maintained close watch and exchanged information with other concerned countries, but we have not received sufficient information during the past two years to justify designation.''
Also dropped from the list is the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement, a Peruvian group involved in the 1996-1997 hostage crisis at the Japanese ambassador's resident in Lima.
The U.S. list of foreign terrorist organizations is reviewed every two years.
Under a 1996 law, U.S. citizens are prohibited from providing listed organizations with assistance and U.S. financial institutions must freeze their assets.
Three groups were added to the list during the past two years, bringing the total to 28.
The three are the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the United Self-Defense Forces of Columbia and the Real IRA, an offshoot of the Irish Republican Army.

"Years before World Trade Center, Tokyo nerve gas attack showed urban vulnerability"

by Eric Talmadge (AP, October 3, 2001)

TOKYO -- It was a beautiful spring morning outside as the rush-hour trains pulled into their downtown subway stations. But when the commuters spilled out onto the platforms, it was clear that something was horribly wrong.
Many collapsed in spasms. Others rubbed their failing eyes, or coughed and retched uncontrollably. More than 5,000 were sickened and a dozen would die -- most without knowing they were the victim of a terrorist attack.
Last month's attacks on the United States have elicited an eerie sense of familiarity in Japan. Six years ago, a well-trained team of religious fanatics fanned out across Tokyo's subway system, puncturing bags of homemade nerve gas and deeply shaking this country's sense of security.
But for those seeking lessons in how to protect a city from terrorists, Tokyo's example isn't very encouraging.
Experts say that although Japan has largely crushed the cult responsible for the 1995 subway nerve gassing, its cities are as vulnerable today as they were then. And, they fear, the one true lesson may be that there simply is no practical defense against terrorism.
"There is no safe place in Japanese cities," said Tadasu Kumagai, a well-known private military analyst. "After about two months, people stopped seriously discussing what to do if and when another attack were to occur."
Following the March 20, 1995, gassing, officials here did pretty much what President Bush is doing now.
Within days, investigators had publicly identified as their prime suspect Aum Shinri Kyo, a neo-Buddhist doomsday cult known for its militant, Armageddon-laced rhetoric. Leaders were rounded up and jailed, facilities were shut down and tons of chemicals confiscated.
Riot police were deployed around potential targets, large public gatherings were canceled.
In the subways, coin lockers were shut down, garbage cans were removed or covered up and announcements urging passengers to watch out for unaccompanied bags became a part of the daily routine.
Japanese officials also focused on the longer-term goals of improving their intelligence-gathering abilities and passing laws to restrict Aum's ability to raise funds and solicit new members.
On that front, they found some success.
The cult still exists, but is much weaker. Though its activities are closely monitored, it is not considered a serious threat. Its founder, Shoko Asahara, is being tried for murder, and most of its other senior members are either dead, on trial or serving long prison terms.
But concerns over civil rights forced officials to back away from many of the bills they had sought. And questions remain over whether the police, now mired in unrelated bribery and misconduct scandals, have the focus to apply the lessons of Aum should a new terrorist threat arise.
Public security, meanwhile, has for the most part reverted back to what it was before the attack.
Ryuichi Kinoshita, a spokesman for the Teito Rapid Transit Authority, which operates several Tokyo subways, said there are more surveillance cameras in the underground and subway workers conduct daily checks for suspicious objects.
That's about it.
Metal detectors or other more intensive searches were never introduced. The cautionary announcements ended years ago.
"We can't rule out the possibility that the same kind of incident will happen again," Kinoshita said. "In 1995, it just happened to occur in a subway. But there are so many other unguarded places everywhere in Japan where people converge, from department stores to stadiums to parks."
Aum offers other similarities with the terrorist attacks on America.
Just as Osama bin Laden is suspected of having been involved in previous attacks, Japanese police discovered violence linked to Aum had been escalating for years, and that it had killed seven people with nerve gas in 1994.
Further, police found evidence the cult had attempted to use biological weapons in Tokyo eight times, though they failed to cause infection.
News reports of Aum's various plots generated a boom in sales of gas masks and other survival goods -- just as is now happening in the United States.
But the sales quickly tapered off. People in Tokyo still fear a terrorist attack, but most say are resigned that there is little they can do.
"Even if you buy a mask or something, it's not enough," said Takashi Kasai, a 24-year-old travel agent. "You can't carry it around every day."
And for those who doubt the possibility of a second attack, Japan again offers a bleak precedent.
Despite the intense security, less than one month after the subway gassing the nation's top police official was shot four times and seriously injured while on his way to work.
Evidence seized since the attack strongly implicates Aum. But the masked gunman, who escaped on a bicycle, was never caught.