Japan hangs seven men for 1995 gas attack on Tokyo subway

Japan Times ^ | 07-06-2018 | Reiji Yoshida and Sakura Murakami

[NRx]

Shoko Asahara, founder of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo and mastermind behind the deadly 1995 nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subway system — and a number of other horrific crimes in the 1980s and ’90s — was executed on Friday, Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa confirmed.

She also confirmed that six other condemned Aum members — Tomomasa Nakagawa, 55, Kiyohide Hayakawa, 68, Yoshihiro Inoue, 48, Masami Tsuchiya, 53, Seiichi Endo, 58, and Tomomitsu Niimi, 54 — were also executed.

In total, Asahara, 63, whose real name was Chizuo Matsumoto, was found guilty for his role in 13 crimes that led to the deaths of 27 people, a figure that later was increased to 29. In the Tokyo subway attack, 13 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured.

The hanging of Asahara has in some ways closed the curtain on the shocking crimes and dramatic events staged by Aum. But it also leaves several critical questions unanswered, because even during his trial, Asahara never explained the actual motivations for the crimes.

In particular, the 1995 sarin attack in Tokyo is remembered as a watershed event that deeply damaged a long-held sense of security felt by many in postwar Japan.

[Skywise]

You’d think the rope manufacturers would protest their products being used for something so I seemingly... /s

[rktman]

Oh, a septfecta.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Sarin is a cruel agent.

[DoughtyOne]

What’s the hurry?

Justice delayed (to this point), is justice denied.

[Magnum44]

We could use a few good public hangings around here as well...

[reed13k]

As I understand all parties had to finish the appeal process before he first hanging. A good defense lawyer would have conducted all the appeals in serial to extend their clients lives as long as possible. Looks like the last one finished and everyone went bye-bye at the same time.

[DoughtyOne]

I want an appeal process. There should be one. Anything that lasts beyond a couple of years is too long.

We are now 23 years from their arrest for the Serin attack, and some of these folks were guilty of other serious crimes resulting in deaths.

[Persevero]

It seems to me to be a very long delay but glad to see delayed justice rather than this “life in prison “ nonsense.

[DoughtyOne]

Yes, the life in prison thing is terrible > IMO.

[Newtoidaho]

Comey, Mueller, Rosenstein, McCabe, Strzok, many others.

[null and void]

Sarin is a cruel agent.

Indeed it is. This makes the Japanese method of hanging, not a long drop/broken neck/instant death method we used, but a slow dangle and strangle, especially appropriate in this case.

[steveo]

I think I read earlier that prisoners never know the exact date for execution. Guards just show up without warning and say ‘let’s go’. Families are notified after the act.

[NRx]

Actually Japan does use the long drop method. Death is instantaneous or very nearly so. Far more efficient and humane than lethal injection.

[ConservativeMind]

I don’t care about “humane” when the perp didn’t.

[NRx]

I do. The sentence is death, not torture. And we do not win by becoming our enemies. Death is as far as I am willing to go in criminal punishment. Anything beyond that I leave to Him.

[Vigilanteman]

Yes it is. And they get to practice the art to perfection.

Six down, seven more to go!

[Vigilanteman]

Seven down, six more to go!

Sorry.

[ConservativeMind]

God said to give, as punishment, a three-fold worse response.

[NRx]

The British were very good at this sort of thing. Their man Albert Pierrepoint was quite simply the best there ever was in his field.

https://youtu.be/A5gAN1P2JbM