TOKYO: Japan's powerful lower house of parliament yesterday passed a set of bills aimed at curbing activities of the doomsday cult accused of a 1995 nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.

The bills, expected to be enacted next month, were submitted in response to public outcry demanding the government take action against the Aum Shinri Kyo (Supreme Truth Sect) amid fears it was staging a comeback.

The bills do not directly name the cult, but target activities of any group that has engaged in "indiscriminate mass-murder" in the last 10 years.

Key Aum members, including cult guru Shoko Asahara, are on trial and have been convicted in connection with various murders including the Tokyo gas attack, which killed 12 and made more than 5,000 ill.

Under the first bill, a group implicated in serious crimes could be placed under the surveillance of the Public Security Investigation Agency for up to three years and could be forced to report on its activities every three months.

The bill will also allow police and public security officials to inspect the facilities of groups deemed dangerous at any time. If found to have committed illegal activities, the group can be banned from acquiring land or facilities for up to six months.

The second bill, which aims to help compensate victims of crimes committed by Aum, allows court-appointed trustees to collect assets of bankrupt groups.

Aum was stripped of most of its assets in 1996 when it was liquidated by court order, but has managed to amass large funds through businesses and purchases of property in many parts of the country.

The bills also include a clause that calls for a revision every five years to address concerns that the legislation could be applied to groups other than Aum.

The government hopes to see the bills enacted in time to prevent a senior Aum member from returning to the cult after he leaves prison around late December, Kyodo news agency quoted government sources as saying.

The cult's former charismatic spokesman, Fumihiro Joyu, is currently serving a three-year prison term for perjury.

Agencies via Xinhua
China Daily 1999/11/19