Aum Shinrikyo
Japanese cult and terrorist organization
Why this is trending
Interest in “Aum Shinrikyo” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-07-21.
Categorised under Arts & Culture, this article fits a familiar pattern. wt.cat.arts.2
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Key Takeaways
- Aleph (Japanese: アレフ , Hepburn: Arefu ) , better known by their former name Aum Shinrikyo ( オウム真理教 , Ōmu Shinrikyō ; lit.
- It carried out the deadly Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 and was then found to have been responsible for the Matsumoto sarin attack the previous year.
- Asahara insisted on his innocence in a radio broadcast relayed from Russia and directed toward Japan.
- Six additional followers were executed on 26 July.
- Local police reported the arrest of Kazuhiro Kusakabe, the suspected driver, who allegedly admitted to intentionally ramming his vehicle into crowds to protest his opposition to the death penalty, specifically in retaliation for the execution of the aforementioned Aum cult members.
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Source summary
WikipediaAleph (Japanese: アレフ, Hepburn: Arefu), better known by their former name Aum Shinrikyo (オウム真理教, Ōmu Shinrikyō; lit. 'religion of Aum Supreme Truth'), is a Japanese new religious movement and doomsday cult founded by Shoko Asahara in 1987. It carried out the deadly Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 and was then found to have been responsible for the Matsumoto sarin attack the previous year.
The group says that those who carried out the attacks did so secretly, without their plans being known to other executives and ordinary believers. Asahara insisted on his innocence in a radio broadcast relayed from Russia and directed toward Japan.
On 6 July 2018, after exhausting all appeals, Asahara and six followers on death row were executed as punishment for the 1995 attacks and other crimes. Six additional followers were executed on 26 July. At 12:10 AM, on New Year's Day 2019, at least nine people were injured (one seriously) when a car was deliberately driven into crowds celebrating the new year on Takeshita Street in Tokyo. Local police reported the arrest of Kazuhiro Kusakabe, the suspected driver, who allegedly admitted to intentionally ramming his vehicle into crowds to protest his opposition to the death penalty, specifically in retaliation for the execution of the aforementioned Aum cult members.
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