TOKYO: A Japanese doomsday cult said for the first time yesterday that its founder was probably involved in one of the nation's worst mass-murder attempts in 1995, but pledged to keep practising his religious teachings.

The cult also set out "drastic reforms," including renaming itself, in what may be a reaction to new laws passed in December giving the authorities sweeping powers to clamp down on such groups.

In a statement, the cult said that Shoko Asahara was likely involved in the crimes he is now standing trial for, which include the gas attack on the Tokyo subway which killed 12 and injured thousands.

"Although we cannot say for sure since the trial is still going on, we have come to a consensus that (Shoko) Asahara was likely involved in the series of crimes he is charged with," the statement said.

The 44-year old, half-blind Asahara is on trial for masterminding the subway attack as well as for 16 other crimes, including murder, attempted murder, a separate nerve gas attack and production of weaponry. He has denied any involvement in the crimes committed by his followers.

Aum also said it would change its name to "Aleph" - taken from the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet - and rid itself of part of its doctrine which has been interpreted as condoning murder if it benefits the cult.

Fumihiro Joyu, the cult's former spokesman and second highest official after Asahara, said that the cult "deeply apologizes to the victims" and that reforms were being taken to rid the cult of its sinful past.

The cult, some of whose members have been convicted while others are still on trial on charges related to the subway attack, first apologized last month for the crimes committed by its followers and pledged to pay compensation to the victims.

On Monday, Aum reportedly agreed to hand over its facilities in six locations as well as the over 3.3 million yen (US$31,500) it received from a small town in Saitama prefecture, north of Tokyo, for vacating land there as compensation to the victims.

The laws passed by Japan's parliament in December in response to fears it was making a comeback do not specify the cult by name but target the activities of any group that has engaged in "indiscriminate mass murder" in the past 10 years. The laws allow police and public security officials to inspect such a group's facilities at any time.

The authorities are to question cult members today before deciding whether to put the group under surveillance.

Agencies via Xinhua
China Daily 2000/01/19