Tokyo, Japan - AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara's defense lawyers said Thursday he cannot communicate and they will not submit a document stating the reason for appealing his death sentence to the Tokyo High Court as the submission will advance the proceedings.
In their statement, they said the submission "will go against our fundamental duty as defense lawyers," refuting the high court's criticism of their refusal to submit the document.
Urging the lawyers to immediately submit the document, whose deadline was Aug. 31, the high court said Sept. 2, "The move neglects (relevant) laws, and they infringed on the defendant's interests as they have abandoned their responsibilities as defense lawyers."
Responding to the criticism, the statement noted, "(The submission) will constitute defection to the defendant...The criticism of the high court is unreasonable."
The high court has initiated a process to begin conducting psychiatric examinations on Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, to determine whether he is competent to stand trial to appeal his death sentence.
The Tokyo District Court sentenced Asahara, 50, to death in February last year for his role in 13 criminal cases including the fatal sarin nerve gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system in 1995.
Tokyo, Japan - The Tokyo High Court said Monday that it initiated last week a process to begin conducting psychiatric examinations of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara to determine whether he is competent to stand trial to appeal his death sentence.
The court interviewed a psychiatrist last week and the psychiatrist will conduct the psychiatric exam at the Tokyo Detention House and review the records of Asahara's trial, it said.
The examination of Asahara, 50, will take about two months, and the court will judge whether he is competent based on the results, according to the court.
Last week's questioning of the psychiatrist was held without the presence of the defense team despite its request for attendance.
In a normal trial, such questioning is conducted with the presence of the defense team, but the court decided not to allow Asahara's lawyers to attend.
The lawyers did not submit a document stating the reasons for Asahara's appeal against his death sentence by the Aug. 31 deadline partly to protest the court's decision.
If the high court concludes from the psychiatric exam that Asahara is competent, and the defense team still does not submit the document by the time the results are out, the court is highly likely to dismiss the appeal, finalizing the death sentence handed down in February last year.
Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was sentenced to death at the Tokyo District Court for his role in 13 criminal cases including the fatal sarin nerve attacks on the Tokyo subway systems.
AUM has renamed itself Aleph.
Tokyo, Japan - The Tokyo High Court criticized AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara's defense lawyers Friday for failing to submit a document stating the reason for their appeal against his death sentence by the Wednesday deadline, and urged them to immediately submit it.
"The move is a neglect of (relevant) laws, and they infringed on the defendant's interests as they abandoned their responsibilities as defense lawyers," the court said.
The court conveyed its criticism to the defense team by telephone and fax.
The defense lawyers met with Presiding Judge Masaru Suda of the high court Wednesday over the appeal.
They brought a 50-page document outlining the reasons for the appeal, but did not submit it to Suda because they were forbidden to attend a psychiatric exam on Asahara, 50, by a psychiatrist to check whether he is competent to continue standing trial.
Asahara's lawyers said Wednesday the high court told them it will postpone any decision on the appeal until it obtains the results of the psychiatric exam and hears expert opinion.
The psychiatric exam is expected to take several months.
The court also said Friday it is highly likely that the court would not consider a delay as unavoidable stipulated under the criminal procedure law even if the defense team submits the document in the future.
If the high court concludes from the psychiatric exam that Asahara is competent and if the defense team does not submit the document by the time the result of the exam is known, the high court is highly likely to dismiss the appeal.
In that case, the death sentence handed down by the Tokyo District Court on Feb. 27 last year will become final.
Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was sentenced to death for his role in 13 criminal cases, including the fatal sarin nerve gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system in 1995.
AUM has renamed itself Aleph.
Tokyo, Japan - Defense lawyers for AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara missed the Wednesday deadline to submit a document stating the reason for appealing the death penalty.
Asahara's defense team had been asked to submit the document to the Tokyo High Court by Wednesday, but it was not.
The defense lawyers have said they cannot submit it because they cannot communicate with Asahara, 50.
The failure to submit the document would lead to finalizing the death sentence handed down on him by the Tokyo District Court on Feb. 27 last year.
But the high court is expected to postpone any decision to reject the appeal until it obtains the results of a psychiatric exam and hear expert opinion on whether Asahara is competent to stand trial.
The psychiatric exam is expected to take several months.
If the high court concludes from the psychiatric exam that Asahara is competent and if the defense team does not submit the document by the time the result of the exam is known, the high court is highly likely to dismiss the appeal.
The defense team made a second request July 29 to suspend the trial until Asahara's mental state improves and asked the high court to extend the deadline for the submission of the document on the appeal.
But the high court rejected the request to suspend the trial on Aug. 19, saying it believes Asahara is competent to stand trial. It also decided to conduct a psychiatric exam.
Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was sentenced to death for his role in 13 criminal cases, including the fatal sarin nerve gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system in 1995.
AUM has renamed itself Aleph.
Toyko, Japan - The Aum Shinrikyo cult, which perpetrated the deadly sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995, has earned about 30 million yen this summer by holding intensive seminars attended by about 300 members, police sources said Saturday.
The police believe the doomsday cult, which has renamed itself Aleph, has come to rely on seminars more than ever to generate funds. Due to tight police surveillance and arrests, it has lost stable income sources such as having members work at computer-related firms.
The sources said that police investigations show Aum earned income through such means as collecting fees and donations at the intensive seminars held Aug. 9 to Aug. 15 at 11 locations nationwide, including its facilities in Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, and Nishinari Ward, Osaka.
The number of participants was about 10 percent less than last year, but the group earned the same amount of money, the sources said.
Some senior and other Aum members were arrested in May and June on suspicion of dispatching group members to work at software development companies while concealing their ties to the cult in breach of the Employment Security Law.
The police crackdown on such activities has cut off these stable streams of income.
Fumihiro Joyu, 42, the nominal head of the group, did not show up at the seminars this year despite rumors he is attempting to stage a comeback as the cult's real leader. He also did not appear last year.
The seminars were organized by two of the cult's three senior members who are reported to be opposed to Joyu's return.
At the seminars, the two leaders preached that Aum founder Shoko Asahara is the absolute figure, the sources said.
Asahara, 50, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was sentenced to death by the Tokyo District Court for his role in 13 criminal cases, including the fatal 1995 sarin attack. His defense team is appealing the ruling.
The two Aum executives were quoted as saying at the seminars, "Physical distance does not matter. The important thing is to think of and praise Asahara Sonshi (guru)," and, "It is necessary to keep observing Sonshi's teachings."
Tokyo, Japan - The Tokyo High Court said Friday it will give AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, who is appealing a death sentence, a psychiatric examination and hear expert opinion on whether he is competent to stand trial.
Presiding Judge Masaru Suda said the court also decided to reject a defense request to suspend the trial until Asahara's mental state improves.
The court decided against extending the deadline beyond Aug. 31 for the submission of documents stating the reason for the appeal.
The high court earlier extended the deadline from the initial Jan. 11 to Aug. 31, but refused to put it off further, saying it stands firm in its determination that Asahara is competent to stand trial.
Suda said the court will test Asahara's mental state because the defense counsel presented a written report by a psychiatric expert saying Asahara lacks litigation capacity and because the case is critical as the death sentence was handed down by a district court.
The high court has not indicated when or how the exam will be conducted.
The death sentence handed down on Asahara, 50, by the Tokyo District Court on Feb. 27 last year would become final if the deadline is missed. But the high court is expected to postpone any decision to reject the appeal until the results of the psychiatric exam are known.
The defense lawyers have said they cannot submit the reason for appeal because they cannot communicate with Asahara, but the high court said Friday it "strongly expects" the document to be handed in by the deadline.
In October last year, the defense counsel asked the high court to suspend Asahara's trial so he could be tested as he was suffering from a mental disorder. The court rejected the request in December that year.
In late July, the counsel filed a second request for the court to suspend his trial, submitting with it the psychiatrist's report, and also asked for another extension of the document deadline.
Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was sentenced to death for his role in 13 criminal cases, including the fatal sarin nerve gas attacks on the Tokyo subway system in 1995.
AUM has renamed itself Aleph.
Tokyo, Japan - Fumihiro Joyu, the nominal head of the Aum Shinrikyo cult that launched the deadly sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995, may be attempting a comeback, police sources said Sunday.
Joyu, 42, became the cult's leader in January 2002 but passed day-to-day management to a five-member council in October 2003 after many cultists spurned his move to distance the group from its founder, Shoko Asahara, who has been sentenced to death for the subway attack and other crimes.
But according to the sources, some group members have since questioned the leadership of the five executives, two of whom were arrested in July 2004 and last June for allegedly violating an employment law and other infractions.
With the group growing anxious about its future, Joyu told close aides around October to circulate e-mails saying he must return to power to overcome the leadership crisis, the sources said.
He also began a Web blog in February and repeatedly held meetings with group members to explain his plans to run the cult, according to the sources. The group changed its name to Aleph in 2000.
Joyu is said to be claiming that the cult should undertake charity work to help it reintegrate into society.
Two of the executives are believed to be opposed to Joyu making a comeback.
"We need to monitor the growing confrontation between Joyu supporters and opponents," a public safety official said.
After the police began its probe into Aum in March 1995 following the gas attack, Joyu became a prominent media spokesman, offering eloquent rebuttals to police charges.
Tokyo, Japan - The Aum Supreme Truth cult intends to enter the welfare services industry, possibly aiming to attract more followers, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned Tuesday.
A 41-year-old female member of the cult, which has changed its name to Aleph, has started preparations to open an orphange in Nagano Prefecture in autumn last year, sources said.
The plans were drawn up with a man who lives in Nagano Prefecture, but had no previous connection to the cult, the sources said, adding that the project is currently at a standstill.
The cult denied any link to the project, but the cult's leader, Fumihiro Joyu, 42, gathered its senior members in May and urged them to work on welfare services, the sources said.
Public security authorities have watched the cult closely as its attempt to enter the welfare field could lead to an increase in its membership.
According to the sources, a 74-year-old man, who runs a Japanese-style inn in the prefecture, came up with the idea to establish an orphanage and began seeking assistance three years ago. In October, a female member of Aum telephoned the man, saying she was interested in his idea and wanted to discuss it in person.
The two did not know each other before that first contact as the woman had learned of his project through an acquaintance, the man said.
At the meeting, the man outlined his idea to operate a facility where orphans could live together. The woman indicated that she would like to help him and said she could get about 10 people to support the project. But the woman did not reveal her connection with the cult.
The two then began drawing up detailed plans, including one in which the man would use the guest rooms in his inn to house children and signed a contract in February to rent a room on the first floor of a building in the prefecture as an administrative office for the project. They also opened a bank account for the project's finances and had a telephone line installed at the office.
But the woman told the man in early March that she had found it difficult to get help, after which all progress on the plan stopped.
The man has said he did not know the woman was a member of Aum.
But public security authorities reportedly confirmed that Joyu's car was parked near the man's inn.
An Aum representative said the woman had told them that she saw the welfare activities as unrelated to the cult.
"The woman has never sought advice from Joyu and never gained his approval," the representative added.
Public security authorities said Joyu - called on about 70 of the cult's senior members in May to assist nursing services.
Joyu told The Yomiuri Shimbun through his secretary, "We believe it's a good way (for us) to get involved in contributing to society after the cult is accepted by society."
Toyko, Japan - The defense counsel for AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara filed a second request Friday for the Tokyo High Court to suspend his trial until his mental condition improves, the counsel said.
The counsel also requested the court to extend the deadline for the submission of a document stating the reason for appeal beyond Aug. 31. The death sentence handed down on Asahara, 50, by the Tokyo District Court on Feb. 27 last year will become final if the deadline is missed.
The high court had previously extended the deadline from the initial Jan. 11 to Aug. 31.
The counsel first requested the suspension in October last year but the court rejected the request in January this year.
The counsel said this time that the defendant is not in a mental state capable of continuing facing the trial.
The trial should proceed after his mental condition improves as a psychiatric evaluation has showed the condition is recoverable, according to the counsel.
Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was sentenced to death by the district court for his role in 13 criminal cases, including the fatal sarin attack on Tokyo subway trains in 1995. His defense team has appealed the ruling.
AUM has renamed itself Aleph.
Tokyo, Japan - The First Tokyo Committee for the Inquest of Prosecution has concluded that prosecutors were wrong not to indict a former Aum Shinrikyo cult member over his alleged involvement in a 1995 explosion at a religious scholar's home, the committee said Friday.
Koichi Ishikawa, 36, was arrested over his alleged part with other senior AUM members in an explosion at the condominium of Hiromi Shimada, a religious scholar believed to be sympathetic to AUM, on March 19, 1995. A time bomb placed at the entrance of his condominium unit exploded but no one was injured.
Police believe that AUM founder Shoko Asahara ordered the explosion to help confuse police investigators who were looking into other cases they believed AUM was involved in.
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office decided last September not to indict Ishikawa due to a lack of evidence, leading Shimada to file a petition to the inquest committee.
The committee expressed doubts over Ishikawa's statement in which he claimed he "did not hear anything about his assignment other than being ordered to carry out the role of making fliers," in view of the fact he was with other AUM members when the conspiracy for the explosion was discussed.
The committee said Ishikawa, by being present at the gathering for the conspiracy, should be judged as having taken part in the conspiracy. Given the committee's conclusion, prosecutors will reexamine whether to indict Ishikawa.
Tokyo, Japan - The family of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara has filed a request with the Tokyo District Court to move him from the Tokyo Detention House to a medical facility as he may be suffering from physical and mental disorders, the family's lawyers said Tuesday.
The family has asked the court for habeas corpus for Asahara, a legal procedure to return liberty to a person who is unreasonably deprived of personal liberty, the lawyers said.
The lawyers said 50-year-old Asahara should be transferred to a medical facility as the detention house failed to check on his possible ailment.
Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was sentenced to death by the Tokyo District Court on Feb. 27 last year for his role in 13 criminal cases, including the fatal sarin attack on Tokyo subway trains in 1995. His defense team has appealed the ruling.
Asahara's defense team sought a suspension of the trial, saying he is not capable of continuing with court proceedings due to physical and mental disorders, but the Tokyo High Court rejected the request last December after the judges met with the defendant.
Tokyo, Japan - Tokyo police arrested Shigeru Sugiura, a leader of the AUM Shinrikyo cult which has been renamed Aleph, and two others on Thursday for allegedly dispatching group members to work at companies without official authorization.
Sugiura, 46, is among the cult's five-member leaders' group, called Seigoshi.
The employment security law prohibits persons from dispatching workers under their management to a different organization for employment, unless they receive permission from the health, labor and welfare minister.
Last month, the police raided 22 locations including AUM-related facilities and arrested some members in violation of the employment law.
Sugiura and others are suspected of sending dozens of cult members to private firms in Tokyo without official authorization from around 2001 through January this year. The companies are believed to have made salary payments totaling several hundred million yen.
The police were looking into the possibility that part of the income might have been used for AUM's operational funds.
AUM Shinrikyo, whose senior members were involved in a series of crimes including the fatal 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, renamed itself Aleph in January 2000.
Tokyo, Japan - The doomsday cult notorious for a fatal gas attack on the Tokyo subway 10 years ago is on a drive to double its membership and earn more money through new businesses such as selling used cars, an expert said.
A senior member of the Aum sect told believers in a seminar earlier this year that "the number of followers would be twice as large if each one of you wins one new member," said the government expert involved in the investigation of the cult.
The doomsday sect holds three seminars a year in Japan for "lay followers" who do not live on an Aum commune, the government source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
About 270 members attended the latest seminar held during the Golden Week of holidays from April 29 to May 5, bringing more than 30 million yen (278,000 dollars) in donations to the sect, the source said.
The group is also diversifying its business into operations such as selling used automobiles in addition to its mainstay computer business which includes software development and hardware sales under a disguised name, the source said.
"As they know we are keeping an eye on them, they are trying to enter various other businesses," the source said.
The number of Aum believers in Japan has been staying flat at around 1,650 for the past five years, down from the peak 11,400 before the March 1995 gas attack on the subway, according to the Public Security Intelligence Agency.
It also has some 300 followers in Russia, the agency says.
Aum founder Shoko Asahara, a bearded former acupuncturist, was last year sentenced to death for crimes including the rush-hour subway attack that killed 12 people and injured 5,500 others.
The sect changed its name in early 2000 to Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, deposed Asahara as its leader and apologized for past wrongdoing, saying it had abandoned violent and risky rites.
But the government agency says cult members still follow the teachings of the jailed Asahara, who preached a peculiar apocalyptic mix of Hinduism and Buddhism.
His daughters say he is no longer able to recognize what is going on around him in detention and mumbles incomprehensibly.
