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Aum Shinrikyo

A Japanese new religious movement led by Shoko Asahara, responsible for the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.

Aum Shinrikyo was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984, blending elements of Buddhism, Hinduism, and apocalyptic prophecy, and grew to claim tens of thousands of members in Japan and Russia. The group secretly developed chemical and biological weapons, and on March 20, 1995, members released sarin nerve gas on five Tokyo subway trains during rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring thousands more.

Asahara and several senior members were sentenced to death for the attack and related crimes; Asahara was executed in 2018. The group renamed itself Aleph and split into smaller successor organizations, which remain under Japanese government surveillance under a public security law.

Timeline of events

1984
Founded. Shoko Asahara establishes Aum Shinrikyo in Japan.
Early 1990s
Weapons program. The group secretly develops chemical and biological weapons.
Mar 20, 1995
Tokyo subway attack. Members release sarin gas on five subway trains, killing 13.
2004–2018
Trials and execution. Asahara is sentenced to death; executed in July 2018.
2000s–present
Successor groups. Aum reorganizes as Aleph and splinter groups, monitored under Japanese law.

Sources

  1. [1] Encyclopædia Britannica — "Aum Shinrikyo"
  2. [2] Council on Foreign Relations — "Aum Shinrikyo"

Key Facts

Founded1984, by Shoko Asahara
Key eventMarch 20, 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack
Deaths13 (attack); Asahara executed 2018
StatusRecently Active (as Aleph, monitored)

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