Editing Aum Shinrikyo (section)

===After 1995===
[[File:Anti-Aum Shinrikyo protest.JPG|thumb|upright=1.25|An anti–Aum Shinrikyo protest in Japan, 2009]]
On 21 June 1995, Asahara acknowledged that in January 1994, he ordered the killing of a sect member, Kotaro Ochida, a pharmacist at an Aum hospital. Ochida, who tried to escape from a sect compound, was held down and strangled by another Aum member who was allegedly told that he too would be killed if he did not strangle Ochida. On 10 October 1995, Aum Shinrikyo was ordered stripped of its official status as a "religious [[Juridical person|legal entity]]" and was declared bankrupt in early 1996. However, the group continues to operate under the constitutional guarantee of [[Freedom of religion in Japan|freedom of religion]], funded by a successful computer business and donations, and under strict [[surveillance]]. Attempts to ban the group altogether under the 1952 Subversive Activities Prevention Law were rejected by the Public Security Examination Commission in January 1997.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}

The group underwent several transformations in the aftermath of Asahara's arrest and trial. For a brief time, Asahara's two preteen sons officially replaced him as guru. It re-grouped under the new name "Aleph" in February 2000. It announced a change in doctrine: religious texts related to controversial [[Vajrayana]] Buddhist doctrines and the Bible were removed. The group apologized to the victims of the sarin gas attack and established a special compensation fund. Provocative publications and activities that alarmed society are no longer published.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}

[[Fumihiro Joyu]], one of the few senior leaders of the group under Asahara who did not face serious charges, became the official head of the organization in 1999. [[Kōki Ishii]], a legislator who formed an anti-Aum committee in the [[National Diet]] in 1999, was murdered in 2002.

For over 15 years, only three fugitives were being actively sought. At 11:50&nbsp;p.m. on 31 December 2011, Makoto Hirata surrendered himself to the police and was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the 1995 abduction of Kiyoshi Kariya, a non-member who had died during an Aum kidnapping and interrogation.<ref>{{cite news|title=Aum Shinrikyo cult fugitive surrenders to Japan police|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16377178|access-date=1 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Tokyo subway attack fugitive surrenders|date=1 January 2012|agency=AFP|publisher=News.com.au|url=http://www.news.com.au/world/tokyo-subway-attack-fugitive-surrenders/story-e6frfkyi-1226234294557|access-date=1 January 2012}}</ref><ref>[[Kyodo News]], "[http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120102x1.html 16-year Aum fugitive mum on life on run]", ''[[Japan Times]]'', January 2011, pg. 1.</ref> On 3 June 2012, police captured Naoko Kikuchi, the second fugitive, acting on a tip from local residents.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://japandailypress.com/additional-details-emerge-about-aum-cult-member-kikuchis-17-years-on-the-run-053368|title=Additional details emerge about Aum cult member Kikuchi's 17 years on the run|work=Japan Daily Press|date=5 June 2012|access-date=18 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201133312/http://japandailypress.com/additional-details-emerge-about-aum-cult-member-kikuchis-17-years-on-the-run-053368/|archive-date=1 February 2014|url-status=usurped}}</ref>

Acting on information from the capture of Kikuchi, including recent photographs showing a modified appearance, the last remaining fugitive, Katsuya Takahashi, was captured on 15 June 2012. He is said to have been the driver in the Tokyo gas attack and was caught in Tokyo, having been on the run for 17 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18453996|title=Last Aum cult fugitive Katsuya Takahashi arrested in Japan|date=15 June 2012|publisher=BBC|access-date=18 January 2014}}</ref>

On 6 July 2018, Asahara and six other Aum Shinrikyo members were executed by [[hanging]].<ref name="executionjapantimes">{{cite news|url=https://japantoday.com/category/crime/Aum-founder-Asahara-mastermind-behind-1995-sarin-gas-attack-executed|title= Aum cult founder Asahara, 6 members hanged|date=6 July 2018|newspaper=Japan Today|access-date=12 July 2018}}</ref><ref name="bbc-executions"/> Japan's Justice Minister [[Yōko Kamikawa]] stated that the crimes "plunged people, not only in Japan but in other countries as well, into deadly fear and shook society to its core." [[Amnesty International]] criticized the use of the death penalty in the case. While executions are rare in Japan, they have public support according to surveys.<ref name="execution2018">{{cite news|last1=Lies|first1=Elaine|last2=Takenaka|first2=Kiyoshi|title=Japan hangs seven members of doomsday cult that attacked subway with sarin|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-crime-sarin/several-ex-members-of-japan-doomsday-cult-including-leader-executed-media-idUSKBN1JW009|access-date=12 July 2018|work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> There were 13 members on death row at the time:

[[File:Anti-aum-flag-japan-2014-11-13.jpg|thumb|upright|An anti–Aum Shinrikyo banner in 2014]]
Aum Shinrikyo members executed on 6 July 2018:<ref name="executionjapantimes"/>
* [[Shoko Asahara]], leader of Aum Shinrikyo
* [[Yoshihiro Inoue]], Aum's "head of intelligence" and chief coordinator of the Tokyo subway attack
* [[Tomomitsu Niimi]], the getaway driver for [[Ikuo Hayashi]], one of the perpetrators of the Tokyo subway attack
* [[Tomomasa Nakagawa]], a perpetrator of the [[Sakamoto family murder]]
* [[Kiyohide Hayakawa]], Aum's "construction minister", convicted of strangling a young cult member in 1989, suspected of dissidence
* [[Seiichi Endo]], the "head scientist" of Aum Shinrikyo
* [[Masami Tsuchiya (terrorist)|Masami Tsuchiya]], Aum Shinrikyo's chief chemist and director of the sarin gas manufacturing

The six remaining Aum Shinrikyo members were executed on 26 July 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://japantoday.com/category/crime/Japan-hangs-all-6-remaining-AUM-death-row-inmates|title=Japan hangs all 6 remaining Aum death row inmates|date=26 July 2018 }}</ref><ref name="sixremaining">{{cite news|title=Profiles of top Aum Shinrikyo members, including six still on death row|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/07/06/national/crime-legal/profiles-top-aum-shinrikyo-members-including-six-still-death-row|access-date=10 July 2018|work=The Japan Times Online|date=12 July 2018}}</ref>
* [[Yasuo Hayashi]], a perpetrator of the Tokyo subway attack
* [[Kenichi Hirose]], a perpetrator of the Tokyo subway attack
* [[Toru Toyoda]], a perpetrator of the Tokyo subway attack
* [[Masato Yokoyama]], a perpetrator of the Tokyo subway attack
* [[Kazuaki Okazaki]], a perpetrator of the Sakamoto family murder
* [[Satoru Hashimoto]], a perpetrator of the Sakamoto family murder

Initially, it was expected that Shoko Asahara's ashes would be collected by his youngest daughter according to his will. She urged her relatives and cult members to "put an end to the Aum and stop hating society". The ashes were kept at the detention center for fear of reprisals from other elements of the cult.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://japantoday.com/category/crime/daughter-of-japan-sarin-attack-cult-guru-to-get-his-ashes|title=Ashes of executed Aum leader to be scattered at sea|work=Japan Today |date=11 July 2018 }}</ref> In 2020 the Tokyo Family Court ruled that the second daughter, who had the "closest" relationship with her father, and who had repeatedly visited her father while he was incarcerated, should receive his hair and remains. On July 2, 2021, the Supreme Court rejected an appeal by the fourth daughter and upheld the ruling of the family court.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=July 6, 2021 |title=Top court: 2nd daughter gets executed Aum guru's remains |url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14388551 |work=The Asahi Shimbun |location=Tokyo |access-date=October 3, 2024}}</ref> In 2024 the [[Tokyo District Court]] ordered the government to hand over the remains to the second daughter.<ref>{{cite news |date=13 March 2024 |title=Japan court orders government to hand over AUM founder remains to daughter |url=https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/03/3ca5c9f9c19f-japan-court-orders-govt-to-hand-over-aum-founder-remains-to-daughter.html |language=en |work=Kyodo News |access-date=October 3, 2024}}</ref>