Body of Executed Aum Guru Matsumoto Cremated

July 9, 2018

Tokyo- The body of Chizuo Matsumoto, the founder and former leader of Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, was cremated on Monday morning, following his execution last week.

For the incineration, the Justice Ministry transferred the body of Matsumoto, 63, to a crematorium from the Tokyo Detention House in Katsushika Ward in the eastern part of the Japanese capital.

The ministry plans to hand over the remains of Matsumoto, who went by the name of Shoko Asahara, to his fourth daughter, based on a will shown by him before his execution, informed sources said. The remains will be kept at the detention center until the handover, the sources said.

The cremation was carried out after the ministry obtained the fourth daughter's consent, according to the sources.

The ministry has yet to decide related procedures, such as a specific schedule for the handover, as other relatives, including Matsumoto's 59-year-old wife, have shown their willingness to collect the remains.

Taro Takimoto, a lawyer for the fourth daughter, said in a statement that she had accepted the cremation, adding that the remains will be left at the Tokyo Detention House for the time being, without being collected any time soon.

The fourth daughter has cut her ties with the cult's successor groups and effectively severed her relationship with her parents.

Meanwhile, the wife is believed to have relations with Aleph, one of the successor groups, the sources said.

Matsumoto, on death row for his roles in a series of deadly crimes by the cult, including the March 1995 sarin nerve gas attack on Tokyo's subway system that left 13 people dead, was executed on Friday. Six other former senior Aum Shinrikyo members on death row were also executed the same day. Jiji Press