Japan executes cult leader behind deadly gas attack
TOKYO — Doomsday cult leader Shoko Asahara and six of his followers were executed Friday for their roles in a deadly 1995 gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, one of Japan’s most shocking crimes in recent memory.
During the morning rush hour of March 20, 1995, members of the Asahara’s Aum Shinrikyo cult punctured plastic bags to release sarin nerve gas inside subway cars, killing 13 people and sickening more than 6,000.
Japan’s Justice Ministry announced the executions of Asahara, 63, and his followers. Two major Japanese newspapers issued extra editions about the executions and handed them out at train stations.