Matsumoto incident
Encyclopedia
The Matsumoto incident was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by members of Aum Shinrikyo
in Matsumoto
, Japan
, in Nagano prefecture
, on the evening of June 27 and the morning of June 28, 1994.
Eight people were killed and over 200 were harmed by sarin
gas that was released from several sites in the Kaichi Heights area. The first calls to emergency officials occurred around 11:00 p.m.; by 4:15 a.m. the following morning, six people had died from the poison. On July 3, officials announced that the toxic agent had been identified as sarin by GC/MS. The dead included Yutaka Kobayashi, a 23-year old salaried worker, and Yasumoto, a 29-year old medical school student.
Aum was not implicated, even after an anonymous tip implicating the sect was given to police after the gassing. One section read, "Matsumoto was definitely an experiment of sorts. The result of this experiment in an open space: seven dead, over 200 injured. If sarin is released in an enclosed space say, a crowded subway it is easy to imagine a massive catastrophe."
After the incident, police focused their investigation on Yoshiyuki Kōno
, whose wife was a victim put in a coma by the gas. It was discovered that Kōno had stored a large amount of pesticide
in his residence. Despite the fact that sarin cannot be manufactured from pesticides, Kōno was dubbed by the media "the Poison Gas Man" and received hate mail, death threats, and intense legal pressure.
After the attack on the Tokyo subway
in 1995, the blame was shifted to the cult Aum Shinrikyo
. The police chief, on behalf of the police department and media, publicly apologized to Kōno. Kōno's wife died without waking from her coma in 2008.
The Matsumoto incident preceded the better-known attack on the Tokyo subway
in 1995. Several Aum Shinrikyo
members were found guilty of masterminding both incidents. Combined, the attacks resulted in 21 deaths and thousands of hospitalizations or outpatient treatment. The main motive for the Matsumoto incident was trying to kill the judges handling fraud charges against Aum brought by land owners in Matsumoto, in order to prevent the court from releasing the scheduled verdict. Aum had also used Matsumoto as a test for their future plans to release the gas in Tokyo.
Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese new religious movement. The group was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984. The group gained international notoriety in 1995, when it carried out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway....
in Matsumoto
Matsumoto, Nagano
is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Matsumoto is designated as a Special City.-Outline:The new city of Matsumoto is the city comprising the mergers of the old city of Matsumoto and four villages. Matsumoto officially absorbed those villages without creating a new municipal...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, in Nagano prefecture
Nagano Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Nagano.- History :Nagano was formerly known as the province of Shinano...
, on the evening of June 27 and the morning of June 28, 1994.
Eight people were killed and over 200 were harmed by sarin
Sarin
Sarin, or GB, is an organophosphorus compound with the formula [2CHO]CH3PF. It is a colorless, odorless liquid, which is used as a chemical weapon. It has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction in UN Resolution 687...
gas that was released from several sites in the Kaichi Heights area. The first calls to emergency officials occurred around 11:00 p.m.; by 4:15 a.m. the following morning, six people had died from the poison. On July 3, officials announced that the toxic agent had been identified as sarin by GC/MS. The dead included Yutaka Kobayashi, a 23-year old salaried worker, and Yasumoto, a 29-year old medical school student.
Aum was not implicated, even after an anonymous tip implicating the sect was given to police after the gassing. One section read, "Matsumoto was definitely an experiment of sorts. The result of this experiment in an open space: seven dead, over 200 injured. If sarin is released in an enclosed space say, a crowded subway it is easy to imagine a massive catastrophe."
After the incident, police focused their investigation on Yoshiyuki Kōno
Yoshiyuki Kono
is a seiyū from Tokyo.-Video Game Roles:*Dynasty Warriors 3 as Meng Huo, Zhang He*Dynasty Warriors 4 as Meng Huo, Zhang He*Der Langrisser as Morgan*Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer as Marion, Ball Boy-Anime Roles:*Angelic Layer as Shuji Inada; Host...
, whose wife was a victim put in a coma by the gas. It was discovered that Kōno had stored a large amount of pesticide
Pesticide
Pesticides are substances or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling or mitigating any pest.A pesticide may be a chemical unicycle, biological agent , antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest...
in his residence. Despite the fact that sarin cannot be manufactured from pesticides, Kōno was dubbed by the media "the Poison Gas Man" and received hate mail, death threats, and intense legal pressure.
After the attack on the Tokyo subway
Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway
The Sarin attack on the Tokyo subway, usually referred to in the Japanese media as the , was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by members of Aum Shinrikyo on March 20, 1995....
in 1995, the blame was shifted to the cult Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese new religious movement. The group was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984. The group gained international notoriety in 1995, when it carried out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway....
. The police chief, on behalf of the police department and media, publicly apologized to Kōno. Kōno's wife died without waking from her coma in 2008.
The Matsumoto incident preceded the better-known attack on the Tokyo subway
Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway
The Sarin attack on the Tokyo subway, usually referred to in the Japanese media as the , was an act of domestic terrorism perpetrated by members of Aum Shinrikyo on March 20, 1995....
in 1995. Several Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo
Aum Shinrikyo was a Japanese new religious movement. The group was founded by Shoko Asahara in 1984. The group gained international notoriety in 1995, when it carried out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway....
members were found guilty of masterminding both incidents. Combined, the attacks resulted in 21 deaths and thousands of hospitalizations or outpatient treatment. The main motive for the Matsumoto incident was trying to kill the judges handling fraud charges against Aum brought by land owners in Matsumoto, in order to prevent the court from releasing the scheduled verdict. Aum had also used Matsumoto as a test for their future plans to release the gas in Tokyo.