Society

Acquittal of former Aum member upheld

Dec 27 (NHK) - Japan's Supreme Court has upheld a lower court verdict of acquittal for a former member of the Aum Shinrikyo cult.

A presiding justice as of Wednesday dismissed an appeal by prosecutors to reverse the verdict on former Aum member Naoko Kikuchi.

The 46-year-old was charged with assisting attempted murder in 1995 by transporting bomb-making materials for the cult. The cult sent a parcel bomb made from the materials to an office of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, seriously wounding an employee.

Kikuchi was arrested in 2012. The district court found her guilty and sentenced her to 5 years in prison, but she was acquitted by the high court.

Points of contention included whether Kikuchi was aware of the motive of the cult's senior members, and how the materials would be used.

The Supreme Court questioned the district court's view that Kikuchi intended to assist with attempted murder. It said she was only abstractly aware that some form of dangerous chemical would be produced from the materials.

The Supreme Court also said the higher court decision was problematic, as it reached a different conclusion than the district court without clarifying the irrationality of that ruling.

An official at the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office expressed regret that the appeal was rejected, but that the office takes the Supreme Court decision seriously.

The decision by the Supreme Court means 59-year-old Katsuya Takahashi is the only former Aum member still on trial.

He has appealed to the Supreme Court after being sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system and other crimes.

Source: ANNnewsCH

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