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Prosecutors demand death penalty for AUM's Asahara

TOKYO, Japan - Shizue Takahashi, whose husband was among twelve people killed in the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack by AUM Shinrikyo cult, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on April 24 after prosecutors demanded the death penalty for cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, at the Tokyo District Court.

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3,500 people attend anti-AUM rally in Tochigi Pref.

UTSUNOMIYA, Japan - About 3,500 people gather at a rally in Otawara, Tochigi Prefecture on Aug. 8, demanding that members of the AUM Shinrikyo cult who have taken up residence in the city move out. The participants, bearing placards that read, ''AUM get out immediately,'' chant slogans, while AUM members blare cult songs from speakers. AUM founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, and a number of AUM members are on trial on murder and attempted murder charges in such cases as the 1995 Tokyo subway gassing, in which 12 people died and more than 5,300 were injured.

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AUM Founder Asahara, Mastermind Behind 1995 Sarin Gas Attack, Executed with Followers

Tokyo, Japan, -July 6: Kyodo News helicopter shows a Tokyo detention center on July 6, 2018, where Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged the same day for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other acts that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, who was convicted of numerous murders including the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, was executed Friday along with several followers, sources close to the matter said. Asahara, 63, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was sentenced to death for masterminding the subway attack and other acts that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. He was among 13 people placed on death row in connection with the string of crimes perpetrated by the doomsday cult.

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Asahara trial comes to halfway mark

TOKYO, Japan - File photo shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara whose trial reached its halfway mark Jan. 10, with prosecutors finishing their arguments over the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attacks and other cases. Accused of 13 crimes, including seven murders, Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, has been on trial since April 1996 at the Tokyo District Court.

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Prosecutors demand death penalty for AUM's Asahara

TOKYO, Japan - Shizue Takahashi, whose husband was among twelve people killed in the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack by AUM Shinrikyo cult, speaks to reporters in Tokyo on April 24 after prosecutors demanded the death penalty for cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, at the Tokyo District Court. (Kyodo)

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AUM cult founder Asahara executed with followers

Photo taken in October 1990 shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara meeting the press in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka Prefecture. Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged on July 6, 2018, for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japanese Justice Minister Kamikawa

Japanese Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa speaks during a press conference at her ministry in Tokyo on July 6, 2018, about the executions of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, and six of his followers over high-profile cases in the 1980s and 1990s. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Top court rejects retrial for AUM founder Asahara

TOKYO, Japan - File photo of AUM founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto. The Supreme Court rejected a plea for a retrial for Asahara who is on death row for masterminding the 1995 lethal sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system among other crimes. (Kyodo)

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AUM founder Asahara

TOKYO, Japan - Undated file photo shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder and death row inmate Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto. Police are set to question Asahara to clarify the role of Makoto Hirata, a former senior AUM member who has turned himself in to Tokyo police after 17 years on the run, in the 1995 abduction and death of a Tokyo notary office clerk, investigative sources said Jan. 9, 2012. (Kyodo)

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AUM trials over

TOKYO, Japan - File photo taken Jan. 7, 1990, shows Japanese cult AUM Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto. The Supreme Court on Nov. 21, 2011, rejected the appeal against the death sentence for former senior AUM member Seiichi Endo over his involvement in the group's sarin gas attacks in Japan in the 1990s, effectively ending more than 16 years of investigations and trials involving the group that horrified the nation with its terrorist acts. (Kyodo)

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AUM cult founder Asahara

Photo taken in May 1995 shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, shortly after his arrest at a facility of the group in Yamanashi Prefecture, west of Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult founder Asahara cremated

A minivan believed to be carrying the cremated ashes of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, enters a detention house in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward on July 9, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult founder Asahara cremated

A minivan believed to be carrying the cremated ashes of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, enters a detention house in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward on July 9, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult founder Asahara executed

Photo taken on July 6, 2018, shows televisions at an electronics store in Urayasu, near Tokyo, showing news of the execution of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara. Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult founder Asahara executed with followers

Photo taken on July 6, 2018, shows people walking past a large screen in Tokyo showing the news of the execution of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara the same day. Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult founder Asahara executed with followers

Photo taken on July 6, 2018, shows a passerby in Tokyo with a large screen in the back showing the news of the execution of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara the same day. Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult founder Asahara executed

Photo taken on July 6, 2018, shows televisions at an electronics store in Urayasu, near Tokyo, showing news of the execution of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara. Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult founder Asahara executed with followers

Photo taken in Tokyo on Sept. 25, 1995, shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara being transferred to the Metropolitan Police Department for questioning. Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged on July 6, 2018, for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult founder Asahara executed with followers

Photo taken in September 1990 shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara holding a press conference in Tokyo. Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged on July 6, 2018, for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult founder Asahara executed with followers

A television set up in Tokyo broadcasts news of the execution of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara on July 6, 2018. Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japanese Justice Minister Kamikawa

Japanese Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa speaks during a press conference at her ministry in Tokyo on July 6, 2018, about the executions of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, and six of his followers over high-profile cases in the 1980s and 1990s. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japanese Justice Minister Kamikawa

Japanese Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa speaks during a press conference at her ministry in Tokyo on July 6, 2018, about the executions of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, and six of his followers over high-profile cases in the 1980s and 1990s. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japanese Justice Minister Kamikawa

Japanese Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa speaks during a press conference at her ministry in Tokyo on July 6, 2018, about the executions of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, and six of his followers over high-profile cases in the 1980s and 1990s. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Japanese Justice Minister Kamikawa

Japanese Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa speaks during a press conference at her ministry in Tokyo on July 6, 2018, about the executions of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, and six of his followers over high-profile cases in the 1980s and 1990s. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Aleph facility in Tokyo

A police vehicle is parked in front of a facility of Aleph, the main successor group to the former AUM Shinrikyo cult, in Tokyo on July 6, 2018, after AUM founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, and six other cult members were executed. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult funder Asahara executed with followers

A television set up in Tokyo broadcasts news of the execution of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara on July 6, 2018. Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other acts in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM cult funder Asahara executed with followers

A television set up in Tokyo broadcasts news of the execution of AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara on July 6, 2018. Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other acts in the 1980s and 1990s that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo cult group

File photo taken in November 1989 shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara (R), whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, and senior cult member Kiyohide Hayakawa, holding a press conference in Bonn, Germany, denying the group's involvement in the murders of lawyer Tsutsumi Sakamoto and his family. Sakamoto had been helping parents seeking to free their children of the cult's control. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo cult

Photo taken in October 1990 shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara (C), whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, preaching to believers at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo founder executed

File photo taken in May 1995 shows a car carrying AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, after he was arrested at the cult group's complex near Mt. Fuji west of Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo founder executed

Photo shows a gate of a Tokyo detention center on July 6, 2018, where Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged the same day for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other acts that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo founder executed

File photo taken in February 2004 shows a bus carrying AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, leaving the Tokyo District Court after he was sentenced to death. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo founder executed

File photo taken in May 1995 shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, being arrested at the cult group's complex near Mt. Fuji west of Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo founder executed

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a Tokyo detention center on July 6, 2018, where Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged the same day for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other acts that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo founder executed

Photo taken from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a Tokyo detention center on July 6, 2018, where Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged the same day for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other acts that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo founder executed

Photo shows a Tokyo detention center on July 6, 2018, where Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged the same day for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other acts that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo founder executed

Photo shows a Tokyo detention center on July 6, 2018, where Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged the same day for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other acts that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo founder executed

Photo shows a Tokyo detention center on July 6, 2018, where Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was hanged the same day for masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other acts that resulted in the deaths of 29 people. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo cult

Photo taken in October 1990 shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, preaching to believers at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo cult

AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara (C), whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, in this file photo taken in January 1990, announcing a plan in Tokyo to run in the lower house election. Standing on the right was Fumihiro Joyu, a one-time spokesman for the cult. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo cult

AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, in this file photo taken in October 1990, preaching to believers at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo cult

AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, in this file photo taken Nov. 26, 1990, speaks to reporters in front of Kumamoto District Public Prosecutors Office in Kumamoto, southwestern Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo cult

File photo taken on Dec. 4, 1989 shows AUM Shinrikyo cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, speaking during a press conference at Narita airport, east of Tokyo. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo cult

File photo taken in September 1995 shows AUM Shinrikyo cult group founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, in a vehicle at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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AUM Shinrikyo cult

Photo taken Jan. 7, 1990 shows AUM Shinrikyo cult group founder Shoko Asahara (4th from L), whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, speaking at a press conference in Tokyo to announce a plan to field candidates for the general election. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

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Gov't announces AUM is under surveillance

TOKYO, Japan - A government official puts a copy of the official gazette in Tokyo's Toranomon district Feb. 1, declaring that the AUM Shinrikyo has been placed under surveillance by security authorities for up to three years, in line with a decision made the previous day by the Public Security Examination Commission. Cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, is on trial in 17 criminal cases, including the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.

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Public security panel OKs AUM surveillance

TOKYO, Japan - Kozo Fujita, head of the Public Security Examination Commission, meets the press in Tokyo on Jan. 31 after the independent panel formally decided to allow security authorities to put the AUM Shinrikyo cult under surveillance for up to three years. Cult founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, is on trial in 17 criminal cases, including the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system. The cult said earlier this month it had changed its name to ''Aleph.''

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Death penalty sought for AUM ex-member for lawyer's murder

TOKYO, Japan - Prosecutors on Dec. 17 asks for the death sentence for Kiyohide Hayakawa (file photo), a former leading member of the AUM Shinrikyo religious group, for his part in the murder of a lawyer and his family in 1989. Hayakawa, 50, has been indicted, along with AUM founder Chizuo Matsumoto and four others, for murdering Tsutsumi Sakamoto, his wife Satoko and their 1-year-old son Tatsuhiko at their home in Yokohama in November 1989. Sakamoto was a lawyer who was handling several legal suits against the sect.

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3,500 people attend anti-AUM rally in Tochigi Pref.

UTSUNOMIYA, Japan - About 3,500 people gather at a rally in Otawara, Tochigi Prefecture on Aug. 8, demanding that members of the AUM Shinrikyo cult who have taken up residence in the city move out. The participants, bearing placards that read, ''AUM get out immediately,'' chant slogans, while AUM members blare cult songs from speakers. AUM founder Shoko Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, and a number of AUM members are on trial on murder and attempted murder charges in such cases as the 1995 Tokyo subway gassing, in which 12 people died and more than 5,300 were injured.

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Japanese professor finds Curie's notebook has radium

NAGOYA, Japan - This photo shows the cover of a notebook used by Polish-French chemist and physicist Marie Curie (1867-1934), in which Japanese scholar Chizuo Mori, a professor at Aichi Institute of Technology, found radium still generating radiation. The Nobel prize-winning Curie apparently used the notebook, now kept in Meisei University in Tokyo, between 1919 and 1933. The photo was provided by Mori on July 7.