The Impact of the Subway Sarin Incident in Tokyo （地下鉄サリン事件について）
It has been quite intriguing for me to get to know about Sect/Cult in worldwide since I started studying Sociology. Especially this historical and dreadful terrorism in Japan has attracted me intensely for years and years. I believe looking at this incident in detail should provide us some clues to get out of contemporary plight in our society.
On Monday March 20, 1995, five members of the Aum cult implemented their horrendous plan to damage the center of Japan. The members got on each of the subway lines with plastic bags containing liquid poisonous chemicals, Sarin. They punctured these bags with the tips of umbrellas in the trains. Although some people noticed the strange liquid running out of the bags and the strong smell of them, many of the passengers didn’t have any idea it was deadly poison. As a result, the sarin sticking to the people’s shoes and clothes was spread not only in the trains but also in the stations. Many of the subway’s staff suffered heavy damage because they touched the sarin with their own hands. Shortly after the attack, the Tokyo subway put up posters and stickers in their trains and stations. They say “Please tell us if you find something or someone suspicious”. You can also hear the announcement of the same message in the trains now. Moreover, the Tokyo subway removed the trash cans in all the stations. These reactions also have been adopted by the JR lines since the September 11 attacks happened in 2001. These changes made the trains uncomfortable places for passengers.
The sensory security is the measure of how people feel about their security in daily life. This is studied by the government and the police especially after the occurrence of disasters or serious criminal incidents. The press said that the degree of the sensory security was suddenly dropped after the Aum’s attacks. In other words, the number of people thinking that crimes were on the rise in their society immediately increased. The day after the sarin attack, the police investigated the Aum’s head office in Yamanashi, and many devotees left the group. The result of this was that many people tended to suspect their new neighbors to be the ex-Aum’s members. In addition, the wanted members’ photos put up many public places stirred the people’s fear. This stream of events caused the Japanese people’s sense of security to fall drastically.
In addition, although the freedom of religion is guaranteed by the constitution, it is considered that most of the Japanese people do not have any religion. As a result of this incident, people’s ideas about religion became skeptical. The insecurity about the society and the mistrust of the religions arouse at the same time in the Japanese society. The Aum’s attacks also brought about a wariness about cult groups. In today’s Japanese colleges, the teachers warn the new students about the danger of the cult’s bid in the school’s entrance ceremony. There are posters warning against the cult, especially during examinations. This action is a reflection of the Aum incidents because the main members of the Aum were tremendously intelligent but had anxiety and fear of the future in their college life. It is said that these personal problems are related to their devotion to Aum.
However, it is quite possible to find some positive results of the Aum’s attacks. Shoko Asahara, the leader of the cult, was condemned to death in 2004, but he is still alive now because he has many unfinished trials. This reality has inspired the Japanese people to reconsider the system of the trials. Furthermore, another of the Aum’s attacks in Nagano brought about a mistaken arrest. The people came to have an interest in the manner of police interrogations.
In my opinion, the most important positive effect was the build-up of the people’s concern for their security. 1995 was also the year of starting use of the internet in our daily life as a result of the Windows 95’s release. For the Japanese society, this year was also the starting point for the global society. The global society and the use of the internet might cause new types of dangers, for example the invasion of personal privacy and conflicts with foreigners. We can attribute today’s safety in Japan to the fact that people came to pay attention to their security as a result of the Aum’s incidents. Now the remnants of Aum exsit as Aleph and continue their activity. Last year the last fugitive of the Aum’s subway attack, Katsuya Takahashi, was finally arrested in Tokyo. Many TV programs and journals picked up the Aum as their main topic, and the people’s interest in the Aum has raised again. We Japanese should remember this incident and obtain some clues to solve our contemporary social problems.
