TOKYO - Photos of former Aum Shinrikyo leader Shoko Asahara, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, have been found inside a facility operated by Aleph, the group regarded as the successor to the Aum Shinrikyo cult, it has been learned.
According to investigators, the photos were discovered inside an Aleph facility in Tokyo’s Suginami Ward, which was inspected last month as part of ongoing on-site investigations by the Public Security Intelligence Agency into the group’s activities.
Subsequent reporting confirmed that images of Asahara, the former cult leader who was executed after being sentenced to death for a series of crimes linked to Aum Shinrikyo, were present within the facility.
In a separate case, a facility in Yokohama was also confirmed in May this year to be displaying photographs of Matsumoto alongside images of his second son during the child’s early years.
Satoshi Onodera, head of the First Section of the First Investigation Division at the Public Security Intelligence Agency, said the second son had previously been designated by Asahara as his successor and had continued to exert influence over key organizational matters while concealing his identity.
Aleph has been ordered to pay compensation related to the series of crimes committed by Aum Shinrikyo, but authorities have identified continued delays in fulfilling those payment obligations as an ongoing issue.
Source: TBS
