TOKYO - The Tokyo High Court on February 5th dismissed an appeal by the state in a lawsuit over the remains and hair of Matsumoto Chizuo, a former death row inmate and leader of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, and ordered the government to hand them over to his second daughter.
Matsumoto, better known as Asahara Shoko, was executed in 2018, after which his second daughter filed a lawsuit seeking the return of his remains and hair from the state.
In the first trial, the Tokyo District Court ordered the government to hand over the remains to the daughter, a decision the state subsequently appealed.
During the appeal, the government argued that revealing the location of the remains could lead to their becoming a “sacred site” for Aum followers and could encourage the activities of successor groups, while the daughter’s side maintained that the remains would not be handed over to the cult.
In its ruling on February 5th, the Tokyo High Court stated that “the danger posed by Aum Shinrikyo and its successor groups has not been eliminated,” noting that if the remains were to leak outside, they could be used as a powerful source of attraction for the group, posing a serious threat to public safety and social order.
At the same time, the court pointed out that the daughter has clearly stated her intention never to hand over the remains to the cult and has indicated she would immediately contact the police or other authorities if any abnormal situation were to arise in their storage, concluding that the state’s appeal should be dismissed and ordering the government to hand the remains over to her.
Source: TBS
