IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
Aum Shinrikyo

While religiously motivated terrorist groups are by no means an isolated phenomenon, Japan's Aum Shinrikyo (or Aum "supreme truth") cult presents an unusual case in this category. The actions of the group drew widespread attention after it perpetrated the infamous sarin gas attack on the Tokyo underground in 1995. Even before the incident, though, a combination of Japanese religious protections and the group's access to vast financial and human resources had allowed Aum Shinrikyo to become the first nonstate group to successfully launch a large-scale chemical weapon attack against civilians.

The driving force behind the group's violent efforts stem from its eccentric guru, a half-blind yoga instructor named Shoko Asahara who aims to take over first Japan and then the world. Asahara, born Chizuo Matsumoto, has been elevated to a messianic figure in the cult's hybrid belief system, which incorporates elements from Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Christianity. Most notable, however, are Asahara's divinations of an imminent "Armageddon" in which, according to his predictions, the United States would attack Japan using weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Asahara himself would allegedly emerge from the chaos as leader.

Whether Asahara and his inner circle of followers truly subscribed to the religion is unclear, but this apocalyptic prophecy ostensibly inspired the 1995 sarin attack by which Asahara hoped to accelerate the process. In retrospect, the plan may have achieved the opposite by placing the group under close government scrutiny and spurring a worldwide crackdown on its membership and operations. During the investigations that followed, authorities confirmed that members of Aum Shinrikyo had planned and executed nine other attacks using chemical weapons, and seven attempts with biological weapons.

The full extent of their capabilities came to light as well. Even though their uses of biological weapons failed dismally — they never acquired the necessary strains of clostridium botulinum to produce botulinum toxin and their anthrax attacks involved a harmless vaccine strain — Aum Shinrikyo's scientists were able to equip enough sarin-producing capacity to kill an estimated 4.2 million people. Other chemical agents found in the arsenal, which the cult used against both political enemies and dissident members, included VX, phosgene, and hydrogen cyanide.

Without a state sponsor, the development of such sophisticated destructive capabilities was made possible in large part by the cult's distinctively well-educated members. Aum Shinrikyo's recruiters aggressively targeted university communities, attracting disaffected students and other experts in science and engineering with promises of spiritual enlightenment. Members with specialized skills were organized into quasi-governmental ministries and departments, such as the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Justice.

The broad appeal of the belief system further extended to constituencies far beyond academic circles. At the time of the 1995 attack, Aum Shinrikyo claimed up to 10,000 adherents in Japan and a total of as many as 65,000 worldwide, with the majority located in Russia, where the cult was able to purchase access to Russian radio and television. U.S. Senate staff reports estimated its assets on the scale of $1.4 billion, and additional offices provided bases of operation in the United States, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Australia, and Germany.

Beyond deriving expertise from within its own membership, leaders of Aum Shinrikyo successfully solicited technical help from foreign individuals and businesses. Through contact with Russian military personnel, Russian scientists, and various corporations, they attempted to secure expertise on everything from military training to weapons technology. These channels also allowed the cult to procure a retired Russian military helicopter and a large cache of small arms.

After the 1995 attack, police crackdowns coupled with a public backlash from the negative media attention took a severe toll on the group's membership. In early 2000, the cult officially ousted the imprisoned Asahara as its leader and apologized for the 1995 subway attack, for which it admitted the "undeniable" involvement of some of its members. Shortly thereafter, the group changed its name to Aleph and its new leader, Fumihiro Joyu, claimed that it had renounced its violent methods and illegal activities. Furthermore, it has since anxiously publicized its payments of reparations to victims of the attacks, which amount to less than $2.5 million. Despite these efforts, the Japanese Ministry of Justice continues to monitor the group, believing that it still has malevolent intentions.

The group now employs electronic means such as videoconferencing and the Internet to communicate with its membership, whose growing numbers now range from 1,500 to 2,000 according to U.S. State Department estimates. These include about 650 leaders and teachers who reside mostly in Japan, but some operate in small enduring Russian cells as well. Although the cult has been outlawed in Russia, Japanese authorities have been reluctant to invoke a 1952 anti-subversive law that would ban the group, citing concerns for civil liberties and religious freedom.

In addition to its increased recruiting and advertising, most of the cult's previous financing operations carry on unhindered. While some bizarre ventures such as the selling of health drinks derived from Asahara's dirty bath water have been stymied by the guru's arrest, other practices such as requisitioning members' assets still persist within the organization. Evidence also exists that Aum Shinrikyo may have engaged in production of LSD, though police raids on its chemical facilities may have hampered this capability. Perhaps the most lucrative source of revenue has been the cult's various computer businesses, which are able to severely undercut competitors by producing cheap software and computers written and assembled by dedicated and low-waged cult members. As an illustration of the success of these businesses, in 2000 the Japan Defense Agency delayed the deployment of a new computer system after discovering that it employed software authored by a cult business.

As for the cult's chemical and biological weapons, the Japanese government has eliminated its known capabilities in a variety of raids, including the 1998 dismantlement and demolition of the cult's main chemical facility. Even so, the debate continues on Aum Shinrikyo's broader implications for WMD terrorism. By being the first terrorists to use chemical weapons in an indiscriminate public attack, the group may have "raised the bar" on the extent of attack required to generate enough psychological shock to achieve a terrorist political objective.

Yet on a different line of reasoning, Aum Shinrikyo's megalomaniac leaders and apocalyptic ethos fits poorly the mold of a common terrorist group. Rather than espousing any political ambitions, Asahara was obsessed with using weapons of mass destruction to catalyze a nuclear Armageddon. And despite their abundant knowledge and resources, Aum Shinrikyo's scientists still encountered difficulties with developing weapons and viable delivery systems. These difficulties and the increased risks of detection may make conventional attacks more economical for other terrorists.

References

Aleph. Aleph: Liberation of the soul, age of benevolence.

Center for Nonproliferation Studies. "Chronology of Aum Shinrikyo's CBW activities." Monterey, CA: Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Gilmore Commission. "First Annual Report of the Advisory Panel to the President and the Congress to Assess Domestic Response Capabilities for Terrorism Involving Weapons of Mass Destruction" RAND Corporation, Dec. 15, 1999.

"Japan's computers hit by cult fears," BBC Online, March 1, 2000.

"Japan warns of cult internet boom," BBC Online, April 13, 2001.

"Japanese cult leader sentenced to death," BBC Online, June 26, 2002.

Metraux, Daniel. "Religious Terrorism in Japan: The Fatal Appeal of Aum Shinrikyo," Asian Survey 35.12 (Dec. 1995).

National Police Agency. "1996 Police White Paper," translation by Emiko Amaki and Robert Mauksch, Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Monterey, CA: Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism. Patterns of Global Terrorism, 2001. United States Department of State, May 2001.

National Police Agency. "1996 Police White Paper," translation by Emiko Amaki and Robert Mauksch, Center for Nonproliferation Studies. Monterey, CA: Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Senate Government Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. "Global Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Case Study on the Aum Shinrikyo." Staff Statement, Oct. 31, 1995.

Stern, Jessica. The Ultimate Terrorists. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999.

 

By Shawn Choy CDI Research Assistant schoy@cdi.org

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