Aum Shinrikyo Research Articles

Serial Murderers In Japan (1882-2017): A Narrative Analysis

A retrospective narrative analysis of 61 serial murder-ers (a few, belonging to health care profession, such as physicians, midwives and paramedic) in Japan was attempted. Materials available in the online databases including Wikipedia entries on individual criminals were studied. Among the studied total of 61 serial murderers covering the time span from 1882 to 2017, 59 were convicted and 2 were non-convicted. All five categories of Deitz typology of serial murderers were represented among the convicted sample. These include, psychopathic sex-ual sadists (e.g: Ryuun Daimai, Yoshio Kodaira, Genzo Kurita, Kiyoshi Okubo, Takahiro Shiraishi), crime spree killers (e.g: Kanae Kijima, Chisako Kakehi), custodial killers (e.g: Shige Sakakura, Miyuki Ishikawa and Hayato Imai), psychotic, religious-cult killers (e.g: Sachiko Eto, Shoko Asahara and his 12 collaborators) and organized crime functionaries (e.g: Satoru Nomu-ra). Tomomasa Nakagawa, personal doctor of the Aum Shinrikyo Buddhist religious-cult leader Shoko Asakara, may hold a record for a scientist on death row to publish a paper in a peer-reviewed journal.Limitations of this study include, (1) omission of the methods of killing used by the murderers from analysis (2) total reliance on media reports for information, in preference to voluminous records of Japanese court cases. Despite these limitations, details presented in this analysis of 59 convicted and 2 non-convicted se-rial murderers in 45 court cases held in Japan may be useful for comparative studies in forensic science and law enforcement.

Эко-терроризм новых религиозных движений как практическая реализация философии и политики экологизма в его религиозном аспекте

The article is devoted to the consideration of the ideological and political aspects of the eco-terrorist activities of new religious movements, mainly the Aum Shinrikyo organization. The destructive activism of neo-religions is considered in the light of the ideology of environmentalism - a politically expressed globalist ideology aimed at combating traditional religions. Considering the destructive activities of Aum Shinrikyo and its leader, Seku Asahara, the authors of the article pay attention to the political goals and plans of this organization, while revealing their religious origins.

Guarding Against Catastrophic Biological Risks: Preventing State Biological Weapon Development and Use by Shaping Intentions.

Guarding Against Catastrophic Biological Risks: Preventing State Biological Weapon Development and Use by Shaping Intentions.

Unification Church and Japan: A Historical Review

The cult previously known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, called the Unification Church (UC), was launched to the forefront of public discussion around the globe following the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe in July 2022. The cult itself is no stranger to controversy given its history, however, this incident was particularly disruptive as Japan faced a politician’s assassination motivated by social problems caused by a Christian religious group along with the revelation of widespread connections between the said group and the ruling political party. This chain of events inflicted a damaging influence on Japan’s democracy, an outcome that requires a closer inspection of its roots. To achieve such a goal, this study turns toward factors that allowed the UC to achieve political influence in Japan during the country's pre- and post-World War II political history. In addition, religious groups in Japan, including controversial cults such as Aum Shinrikyo and the UC provide important case studies in public relations and fast development under the title of the “cult controversy”. However, many of the previous studies were insufficient regarding their scope, and there was no uniform technique for presenting or assessing the usually brief opinions on the UC's actual overall influence on Japan's democratic system. However, many of the previous studies were limited in scope. Moreover, there were only a few uniform techniques for presenting or assessing views on the core/overall influence of UC on Japan's democratic system. This study aims to expand the limitations of the literature by bridging previous views based on the historical and recent factors. Through qualitative analysis of archival data as well as existing literature, it is found that the rivalries of certain political figures, pre-WWII rivalries rooted in political ideological differences, and Occupation-era policies were factors that allowed UC to take root in Japan. These factors were explored to reveal early perspectives on UC. As a result, it is found that the rapid and deep organization of UC paved the way for political expansion in post-WWII Japan at the expense of potential social problems.

The Kingdom’s Shōnen Heart

Taken by themselves, neither Disney nor Square Enix appears particularly successful at transcultural expression, although both are certainly marketing juggernauts in transmedia franchise operations (Smoodin, 1994; Consalvo, 2013). Disney may be understood in terms of American postwar cultural imperialism, while Square Enix is deeply rooted in conventions of Japanese storytelling. But together, somehow the two achieve a synergy in Kingdom Hearts (2002), coalescing in the figure of Sora, its youthful protagonist. This article performs a close reading of Sora’s visual character design, a transcultural melding of Walt Disney’s own Mickey Mouse and the shōnen figure of earlier Nomura Tetsuya creations. While gameplay dynamics point to a new action-adventure style for Square Enix, the shōnen characteristics of Sora’s appearance combine with his sense of loss and yearning to position the game in the JRPG genre. 
 
 Transculturality of the non-player characters (NPCs) in Kingdom Hearts is then considered. These character designs remain static, anchored to their original reference texts. Where the Disney characters fit their settings in an uncomplicated way, providing escapism and nostalgia for the player, Square characters seem to be chosen for their complexity. The use of then-recent Final Fantasy X characters Tidus and Wakka in Destiny Islands is contrasted against the use of darker, brooding characters from older Final Fantasy titles encountered later in the game. Just as loss and yearning define Sora’s shōnen character, the sense of loss manifested by Cloud, Aerith and Leon connect the player to the real-world context of the global late 1990s, speaking to Japanese anxiety following the Hanshin earthquake and Aum Shinrikyo attacks of 1995, and to the despair of ‘Generation X’ following Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994 (Funabashi and Kushner, 2015; Brabazon, 2005). Meanwhile, the deep economic recession of Japan’s ‘lost decade’ (1991-2001) connected perfectly to the post-9/11 unease in America at the time of the game’s release. Overall, I argue that the game’s success stems from its transcultural emphasis on loss and yearning, which fit not only the JRPG genre but also the sense of anxiety pervading both Japan and America at the time.

Review: Reactions to the Law by Minority Religions, edited by Eileen Barker and James T. Richardson

Reactions to the Law by Minority Religions is the third volume in a series of books initiated by INFORM devoted to the issue of minority religions and law. (INFORM is an independent educational charity based in London that focuses on minority religions and sects.) As co-editor Eileen Barker puts it, previous volumes published in the series have mainly concentrated on the place of minority religions in various political and legal contexts, while this latest book focuses on the way minority religions have reacted to the law. This volume enlarges research into minority religions by considering the wider picture of religion, law, and politics, particularly by providing the perspectives of minority religions to these social institutions and interactions with them. The editors have expanded the circle of contributors by inviting not only scholars from various disciplines—such as sociologists, anthropologists, lawyers—but other professionals as well as the members of minority religions. In other words, readers will find chapters written by scholars engaged for a long time in research on minority religions along with chapters written by human rights’ activists and adherents of minority religions.The book contains thirteen papers, providing wide range of perspectives into the way minority religions have reacted to the law in diverse geographical areas and different political systems, including democratic and authoritarian countries. Global north societies, however, are mainly represented. Groups covered include Japanese Tenrikyo and Aum Shinrikyo, the Estonian pagan group House of Tara, the Doukhobors in Canada, the Church of Almighty God in China, and the Unification Church, Scientology, Jehovah Witnesses, Essenes, and others. Contributors examine a variety of minority religions and their attempts to respond to the law, to challenge existing legal norms, and to find their own place in the existing legal frameworks. The cases discussed involve the reader in the historical circumstances of social inclusion of minority religions and very recent attempts by Western countries to exclude minority religions persecuted in authoritarian countries. In addition, the volume provides an overview of minority religions’ attempts to secure their rights with the help of international institutions, such as the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, and the United Nations. Finally, the book concludes with helpful theoretical generalizations on the way minority religions react to the law in contemporary society.In general, the volume is grounded on rich material based on various methodological approaches that contain historical and recent legal document and literature analyses, as well as empirical research with interviews and participant observation. The reader is able to compare and contrast how diverse minority religions act under various social and political conditions, and to consider what measures are taken in the fights for their rights. The strength of the volume lies in the assortment of cases, countries, and approaches, but one may also say that weakness also lies within the same diversity, as usually it might be seen as limiting more in-depth analysis. The evaluation at this point would depend on the position of the scholar and their expectations for the volume. In my opinion, the theoretical background for this book is solid and empirically grounded. The wealth of material presented invites the reader to contemplate further applications in future research.Reactions to the Law by Minority Religions contributes to understanding minority religions, their role and place in contemporary societies and states. It might well serve as a handbook for scholars of religions, sociologists, anthropologists, lawyers, and political scientists working in the field of religion, law, and politics. The variety of cases analyzed might be valuable material for courses in sociology, anthropology, political science, and law. The contributions from members of minority religions and their interpretations might serve as a solid background for additional research into those groups and their relations with society and state. Finally, the volume should be of interest for general readers looking at the way minority religions find their way through various legal and political contexts. By doing so, readers are reminded of the complicated issues that majority/minority boundaries create and how much effort and how many sacrifices minority religions might need to make in order to be recognized.

Religious Discrimination against Groups Perceived as Cults in Europe and the West

ABSTRACT This study examines the comparative levels of discrimination against cults and other religious minorities in 37 European and Western democracies using the Religion and State-Minorities (RASM) dataset and data on four religions many governments consider cults—the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Scientology, the Unification Church, and the Mormons—collected specifically for this study. There is a considerable theoretical literature that argues that perceived cults experience more discrimination because they are considered new and strange in many countries as well as dangerous. Several violent events involving groups seen as cults in the 1990s such as those involving the Branch Davidians, the Order of the Solar Temple, Heaven’s Gate, and the Aum Shinrikyo exacerbated this trend. Our analysis finds that perceived cults experience higher levels of religious discrimination by governments in these countries and this trend increased in the mid-1990s which is consistent with it being at least in part a response to the series of violent perceived cult-related events in the 1990s.

Violence and New Religious Movements

This article revisits the controversies sparked by two new religious movements (NRMs) in the run up to the millennium–?the tragedies that unfolded in Jonestown and Tokyo–?which have forever altered discussions on new religions and violence. This paper explores the impact of pressures both external and internal on The Peoples Temple and Aum Shinrikyo and suggests two new points of focus: perceived pressure and cognitive dissonance. As time progressed, both movements experienced rejection from wider society, leading them to become increasingly world-rejecting (Wallis 1984) and causing dissonance between the teachings of their prophetic leaders and their uncomfortable reality. Actual external pressures such as persecution by social and governmental agencies, as well as the perception of external pressure (the feeling of rejection), strengthened the internal pressures of cognitive dissonance and ultimately to self-destructive violence in such groups. For decades scholars have investigated the impacts of endogenous and exogenous pressures on NRMs, and while this article focuses on events that occurred over twenty years ago, there is still room to explore the dynamic relationship between the perception of pressure and catastrophic violence.

Nerve agents: emergency preparedness

Nerve agents (NAs) are a highly toxic group of chemical warfare agents. NAs are organophosphorus esters with varying physical and chemical properties depending on the individual agent. The most recently...

Ideological Transmission in Extremist Contexts: Towards a Framework of How Ideas Are Shared

ABSTRACTDespite their centrality in academic and policy debates about radicalization and political violence, ideologies have been conceived narrowly, as cognitive, top-down, coherent and systematic. In general, those who have used the concept of ideology have failed to draw on ideological theory or on recent insights about its practice and embodiment, or location in space and time. Our interest is less in the content of ideology than in how it is shared by those for whom it matters. We offer an interpretive framework, based on six key questions about ideological transmission: What ideas, beliefs, and values are shared, how and why, by whom, and in which spatial and temporary contexts? Following a discussion about the methodological pros and cons of the framework, it is tested on a series of interviews with members of Aum Shinrikyo, the Japanese religious group responsible for the Tokyo subway attack in 1995. We assess the strengths and limitations of the framework for analysing the various dimensions of ideological transmission before considering what it adds to our understanding of the relationship between extreme beliefs and violent behaviour.

Building the Bomb: A Further Exploration of an Organizational Approach to Nuclear Terrorism

ABSTRACT A terrorist organization constructing and detonating a nuclear device is often a topic of popular, academic, and political concern. Yet, assessing this risk is a challenging task. This article aims to contribute to the encompassing nature of any future nuclear terrorism threat assessments by further exploring the often overlooked organizational dimension in probability assessments on nuclear terrorism. Particular emphasis is given to the role of the organizational design. In order to do so, this article theoretically builds on a 2017 research article and empirically studies Aum Shinrikyo’s chemical and biological armament activities. This article confirms and further refines the idea of an effectiveness-efficiency trade-off for a terrorist organization implementing a nuclear armament project. It particularly zooms in on the constraints that follow from the covert nature of this type of plot and elaborates on the role of Aum Shinrikyo’s value-rationality.

Terrorism, Religion and Self-control: An Unexpected Connection Between Conservative Religious Commitment and Terrorist Efficacy

ABSTRACT Correlations between terrorism and the religious commitments of terrorist organizations and actors have been the subject of extensive scholarly investigation. 1 Whilst the focus has often been on extreme Jihadist terrorism, other terrorist groups and individuals with religious commitments have been widely discussed such as Baruch Goldstein’s 1994 attack in Hebron, Christian Identity groups in the US, and Aum Shinrikyo in Japan. 2 A number of theories have been advanced to explain the relationships between religious commitment and terrorism. For example, Atran has argued that many terrorists are “devoted actors”, and that members of deeply conservative religions are typically devoted actors. 3 Whilst not denying that these factors may be important, this article draws attention to a further significant impact of religion on terrorism: the surprising connection between religion and self-control. 4 Drawing on the large empirical literature establishing a link between religion (in particular deeply conservative religions) and self-control, it is hypothesized that the religious practices of religiously-inspired terrorists enhances their self-control and thus raises their efficacy, operationalized as casualties per attack. This hypothesis will be referred to as TERS (Terrorist Efficacy, Religion and Self-control). TERS predicts that highly conservative religious terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda and ISIS will typically have higher levels of terrorist efficacy than non-religious or moderately religious groups, and the research of supports this hypothesis. 5 In addition, it is argued that TERS provides a crucial addition to Piazza’s emphasis on “universal/abstract” ideologies. 6 Piazza remarks that left-wing terrorist groups can have universal/abstract ideologies. Case studies of atheist left-wing terrorist groups—specifically the Red Army Faction and the Red Brigades—reveal that such groups satisfy Piazza’s characterization of universal/abstract groups but have casualty rates per attack very much lower than those of highly conservative religious groups such as Al Qaeda and its affiliates. It is argued that highly conservative religious convictions enhance the self-control of the latter groups, raising their efficacy relative to the former atheist groups.

Monolithic Inferences

In the study of religion and terrorism, one of the most familiar incidents is the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995. With the execution of Shoko Asahara and his close associates in the summer of 2018, it would appear that the last chapter in this tragic tale has finally been written. I would argue, however, that there are still lessons to be learned from this event. In the present article, I describe the complexity of the epistemic situation in which I found myself when I finally met AUM Shinrikyo in the spring of 1995. In addition to misunderstandings arising from monolithic inferences regarding AUM’s membership, I came to feel that certain anomalous items of information were swept under the rug—information that hinted at a more complex array of factors influencing AUM Shinrikyo and the subway attack.

Search for Optimal Parameters for Gas Chromatographic Complex When Determining Sarin in Water Samples by Flame Photometric Detection Method

Sarin is considered to be an instrument for chemical terror by the extremist organizations due to the availability of technologies and components for its production. This fact became evident after the use of sarin by several members of the extremist organization «Aum Shinrikyo» for air infection of the capital`s subway in 1995 in Japan and by ISIL bands in Syria in 2013. Because of its physical and chemical properties, as well as its ability to be dissolved in water in any ratios, sarin can infect water sources for the long period of time. But the sensitivity of flame photometric detectors (FPD) is not always sufficient for the analysis of water samples for the presence of sarin, its precursors and products of destruction, especially in cases of necessity to detect the concentrations less than 0,03 ppm (3×10 -5 mg/ml). We have found out that higher sensitivity of the detector can be achieved in case of the increase of the gas carrier (helium) pressure in the injector up to 25 psi, and the temperature – to 250 °C, single-segment temperature rise in the thermostat with a speed of 10 °C/min from 40 °C (1 min) to 280 °C (5 min) at a hydrogen stream in PFD – 75 ml/min, air – 100 ml/min, helium – 60 ml/min. In comparison with the initial method, the offered one is more sensitive in case of sarin concentration in water in the range from 6×10 -6 to 1×10 -4 mg/ml to 1,7 times. The approbation of the offered optimal parameters was carried out during the gas chromatographic detection of sarin in water samples during the OPCW Proficiency Tests, during the analysis of arbitration samples, during the scientific research and the obtaining of national accreditation of the Laboratory of Chemical Analytical Control of the 27 Scientific Centre of the Minstry of Defence of the Russian Federation. These parameters can be used successfully during the studies of any organophosphorous chemicals by GC analysis with flame photometric detection

Nerve agents: A clear and present danger to mankind

This editorial is written on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the infamous sarin and VX terrorist attacks in Japan, in order to increase the awareness of the potential terrorist use of nerve agents and to urge the preparedness to cope with its consequences. Nerve agents are extremely toxic organophosphorus acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, divided in three known groups: G-, Vand A-agents. G-agents tabun, sarin and soman were synthesised in Nazi Germany (1938-1944), V-agents including VX by the British in the 1950s and A-agents or Novichok agents between 1971 and 1993 in the Soviet Union. The use or alleged use of tabun and sarin was mentioned in connection with the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988) and the Syrian conflict in 2013 and 2017. Sarin and VX were used for terrorist purposes by the Japanese religious sect AUM Shinrikyo in 1994 and 1995. The assassination of Kim Jong NAM with VX took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malesia in 2017, while the 2018 Salisbury and Amesbury poisonings in the UK were ascribed to the so-called Novichok agent A234. Milder cases of poisoning with nerve agents is accompanied by predominantly muscarinic symptomatology and more massive intoxications with mainly nicotinic and central symptoms. Treatment consists of use of atropine, oximes and anticonvulsants.

Murders with VX: Aum Shinrikyo in Japan and the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam in Malaysia

Murders with VX: Aum Shinrikyo in Japan and the assassination of Kim Jong-Nam in Malaysia

Extreme Overvalued Beliefs: How Violent Extremist Beliefs Become "Normalized".

Extreme overvalued beliefs (EOB) are rigidly held, non-deusional beliefs that are the motive behind most acts of terrorism and mass shootings. EOBs are differentiated from delusions and obsessions. The concept of an overvalued idea was first described by Wernicke and later applied to terrorism by McHugh. Our group of forensic psychiatrists (Rahman, Resnick, Harry) refined the definition as an aid in the differential diagnosis seen in acts of violence. The form and content of EOBs is discussed as well as group effects, conformity, and obedience to authority. Religious cults such as The People’s Temple, Heaven’s Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, and Islamic State (ISIS) and conspiracy beliefs such as assassinations, moon-hoax, and vaccine-induced autism beliefs are discussed using this construct. Finally, some concluding thoughts on countering violent extremism, including its online presence is discussed utilizing information learned from online eating disorders and consumer experience.

ひかりの輪におけるオウム真理教(アレフ)の総括と差別化

ひかりの輪におけるオウム真理教(アレフ)の総括と差別化

他者理解の位置と暴力性 : オウム事件と宗教研究の変容(オウム事件と宗教研究,自由テーマパネル, 第六十四回学術大会紀要)

他者理解の位置と暴力性 : オウム事件と宗教研究の変容(オウム事件と宗教研究,自由テーマパネル, 第六十四回学術大会紀要)

救済と暴力 : オウム真理教元幹部の入信と脱会の一事例( 宗教-相克と平和)

救済と暴力 : オウム真理教元幹部の入信と脱会の一事例( 宗教-相克と平和)