In March 1995 the leaders of the antisocial revolutionary religious cult Aum Shinrikyou released deadly poisonous sarin gas on Tokyo’s subway trains. Thirteen people died and over 6,000 people were affected. The 13 members involved in the incident – including mastermind ASAHARA Shoukou (real name: MATSUMOTO Chizuo) – were given the death penalty. This March, seven of them were transferred from Tokyo Prison to local prisons, and it is reported that they will soon be put to death. This is because in cases where there are several accomplices, these executions take place simultaneously. The death penalty is permitted in Japan and approved of by the majority of the population.