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How did AUM Shinrikyo use chemical weapons in Matsumoto and Tokyo?

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American soldiers in World War I uniforms, some wearing gas masks, advance with rifles during a simulated gas attack exercise on a rocky battlefield. — chemical weapon American soldiers participating in a simulated gas attack exercise, World War I.

The cult AUM Shinrikyo utilized the highly toxic nerve gas sarin to carry out lethal attacks in Japan, acts that represent a profound violation of human life and ethical principles.

In June 1994, the group staged an attack in Matsumoto intended to kill three judges presiding over a court case against the cult. Members released sarin from a truck parked near a building complex, resulting in the deaths of eight people and injuries to approximately 500 others.1

On March 20, 1995, the cult executed a coordinated attack on the Tokyo subway system. Five members boarded separate trains, each carrying bags of liquid sarin. They punctured the bags on the floor of the trains before exiting. As the agent vaporized, the fumes sickened thousands of passengers and subway employees. The attack killed 13 people and injured roughly 5,500 others. Following these atrocities, authorities raided the group's facilities, uncovering evidence of chemical weapon manufacturing, which led to the arrest and eventual execution of leader Asahara Shoko and other senior members.12