was an

Aum Shinrikyo , better known by their former name , is a Japanese new religions, Japanese new religious movement and doomsday cult founded by Shoko Asahara in 1987. It carried out the deadly Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 and was found to have been respo ...

member convicted for his participation in the

Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway The was a chemical domestic terrorist attack perpetrated on 20 March 1995, in Tokyo, Japan, by members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult. In five coordinated attacks, the perpetrators released sarin on three lines of the Tokyo Metro (then ''Teito Rapi ...

and a number of other crimes. He was Aum's "minister of internal affairs".

Background

Judge Yujiro Nakatani said that his Aum-related crimes began in 1989 with the strangulation killing of Shuji Taguchi, who had attempted to flee from the cult. He also murdered anti-cult lawyer Tsutsumi Sakamoto and Sakamoto's wife and son the same year.

Tokyo subway sarin attack

Before the Tokyo subway gas attack, Asahara wanted to try the sarin gas on humans. He chose his rival,

Daisaku Ikeda was a Japanese Buddhist leader, author, educator and nuclear disarmament advocate. He served as the third president and then honorary president of the Soka Gakkai, which is considered among the largest of Japan's new religious movements but ...

, the leader of

Soka Gakkai is a Japanese new religions, Japanese new religion led by Minoru Harada since December 2023 based on the teachings of the 13th-century Buddhist priest Nichiren. It claims the largest membership among Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Buddhist group ...

, one of Japan's most popular "new religions". Asahara directed his men to rig a spraying device on a suitable vehicle at one of the nights when Ikeda was supposed to speak in public. All was going well until the device began to leak, splashing liquid sarin onto Niimi, Asahara's security chief.

Kiyohide Hayakawa was a member and deputy leaderChicago Tribune, April 19, 1995, evening update of the Japanese doomsday-cult group Aum Shinrikyo. Hayakawa was born in Hyōgo Prefecture in 1949. After Aum Shinrikyo adopted a "ministry system", he was the Minister ...

was present and quickly administered an antidote in time to prevent Niimi's nervous system from shutting down. Together with

Ikuo Hayashi is a former Aum Shinrikyo member convicted for his participation in the sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. Background Prior to joining Aum, Hayashi was a senior medical doctor with "an active 'front-line' track record" at the Japanese Mi ...

, Niimi participated in the subway gas attack (there were several other perpetrators as well): Hayashi delivered the sarin-filled package and pierced it with a sharpened umbrella tip, while Niimi was a car driver.

Legal proceedings

Tomomitsu Niimi was eventually convicted of murder and other terrorism charges. Niimi was subsequently sentenced to death by hanging. Unlike other former Aum members involved in criminal acts, Niimi made no apologies. During an earlier court hearing, Niimi proclaimed his "absolute faith" in

Shoko Asahara , born , was a Japanese cult leader and terrorist who founded and led the doomsday cult known as Aum Shinrikyo. He was convicted of masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, and was also involved in several other crimes. As ...

, Aum Shinrikyo's founder, and spoke about various levels of 'enlightenments' he had been able to experience during his religious trainings in Aum. He then spoke about human sufferings, saying that "some are suffering thinking that this world is illusory and some thinking that it is real. Concerning the former members who now testify against their guru

sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

who did them so much good, I believe their suffering is based on the perceptions that this world is real". Niimi was among the first seven of the Aum Shinrikyo members on death row to be executed on 6 July 2018, including leader Shoko Asahara. Relatives of victims said they approve of the execution.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niimi, Tomomitsu 1964 births 2018 deaths 21st-century executions by Japan Executed Japanese mass murderers Japanese murderers of children People convicted of murder by Japan People executed by Japan by hanging Tokyo Subway sarin attack perpetrators

Background

Tokyo subway sarin attack

Legal proceedings

See also

References