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March 2, 1955 - Shōkō Asahara

The founder of Aum Shinrikyo built a religious movement that blended apocalyptic prophecy with absolute personal authority, drawing in thousands of followers — including scientists and engineers whose expertise he redirected toward mass violence. The 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system remains one of the most significant acts of domestic terrorism in Japanese history, and the group's capacity for coordinated chemical warfare distinguished it from most other extremist organizations of its era.

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Shōkō Asahara

Shoko Asahara (麻原 彰晃, Asahara Shōkō; March 2, 1955 – July 6, 2018), born Chizuo Matsumoto (松本 智津夫, Matsumoto Chizuo), was a Japanese cult leader and terrorist who founded and led the doomsday cult known as Aum Shinrikyo. He was convicted of masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway which killed 14 people and injured thousands more, and was also involved in several other assassinations and terrorist attacks. Asahara was sentenced to death in 2004, and his final appeal failed in 2011. In June 2012, his execution was postponed due to further arrests of Aum members. He was ultimately executed along with other senior members of Aum Shinrikyo on July 6, 2018.

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