Tokyo (AFP) – Japan on Thursday commemorated the 19th anniversary of a nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway with ceremonies to remember the 13 people who lost their lives.
Staff at the central Kasumigaseki subway station observed a minute’s silence at 8:00 a.m. (23:00 GMT Wednesday) and some commuters laid flowers at a memorial stand set up there.
Among the victims were two subway workers who were killed in the station, which is very close to Japan’s political center as it is near numerous ministries.
“Our duty is to ensure safety every day and we must ensure that people can commute with peace of mind,” said area manager Mitsuaki Ota, according to the Kyodo news agency.
On March 20, 1995, members of the doomsday cult Aum Supreme Truth released the deadly gas sarin in several crowded commuter trains simultaneously during the morning rush hour.
The attack left 13 people dead, more than 6,000 sick and caused panic among Tokyo’s millions of commuters.
Thirteen Aum members, including guru Shoko Asahara, are on death row following their conviction in connection with the subway attack.
Asahara, a nearly blind yoga master who preached a mixture of Buddhist and Hindu dogmas peppered with visions of the apocalypse, had around 10,000 followers at the height of his popularity.
He developed an obsession with the Nazi-developed sarin gas and became paranoid, fearing that his enemies would use it to attack him.
Prosecutors believe the attack was aimed at thwarting the cult’s efforts to break up the police and plunge Tokyo into chaos in order to realize the guru’s dream of an apocalyptic war.
In total, almost 190 members of the sect were charged in connection with the attack.
