Skip to main content.
Related sites:
Religion News Blog is a non-profit service providing academics, religion professionals and other researchers with religion & cult news
ReligionNewsBlog

Religion news articles about religious cults, sects, world religions, and related issues

Navigation:
Web religionnewsblog.com
Home | Site Menu | About RNB | RNB Store | Cult FAQ | Cult Experts | Apologetics Index | Cult Information Search Engine


Related

More news articles & news archive on Aum Shinrikyo


Advertisements *

Advertise on Religion News Blog Advertise Here *
Simple steps to financial health and a good credit score


Elsewhere

'You cannot trust the Gospels. They are unreliable.'


Aum Shinrikyo:

Aum Shinrikyo split over ‘fees’ to guru’s wife

Asahi Shimbun, Japan
Sep. 22, 2006
Keisuke Nishikawa
www.asahi.com
  • Article Tools  • Share This Story

ReligionNewsBlog.com • Item 15999 • Posted: Friday September 22, 2006  

Click here... More articles on this topic: Aum Shinrikyo

It’s been a difficult month for Aum Shinrikyo. The finalization of the death sentence for its founder, Chizuo Matsumoto, was followed by a nationwide raid on the cult’s facilities. And now Aum members are squabbling among themselves over payments to Matsumoto’s wife.

Matsumoto, 51, was sentenced to die for crimes that caused the deaths of 27 people, including two sarin nerve gas attacks.

Aum Shinrikyo, which now calls itself Aleph, pays Matsumoto’s wife, Tomoko, 400,000 yen a month, ostensibly in fees for the use of paintings that she produced.

In actuality, the money supports Matsumoto’s family, sources said.

The money paid to Matsumoto’s wife has come under scrutiny by members as the cult is being kept under close watch by public security authorities.

The cult also failed to complete its payments of 960 million yen in compensation to victims of Aum crimes, as determined in 2000.

The amount was due to be paid over a period of five years. However, by the time this deadline elapsed, the cult had paid only 560 million yen, leading the bankruptcy administrator to extend the payment period by three years.

The cult itself has divided into two factions: a breakaway group headed by Fumihiro Joyu, and those who remain loyal to the disgraced former leader.

Ending the payments to Matsumoto’s wife was first put forward in August by Joyu, group members said.

However, those loyal to Matsumoto insist that stopping payments would violate the cult’s contract with Tomoko. They have since called for a leadership reshuffle.

Tomoko, 48, first received payments for the paintings in December 2002, two months after she was released from prison and joined her children in Ibaraki Prefecture.

She had been given a six-year term for her role in the murder of a former follower.

Tomoko declared that she had severed all ties with the cult, and stipulated that it could not use her paintings of Hindu gods Siva–of whom Chizuo Matsumoto claimed to be a reincarnation–and Vishnu without her permission.

Aleph then agreed to pay monthly fees for the paintings for five years.

The cult uses copies of the paintings to decorate the altar at its headquarters, and further copies are given to followers. Tomoko has the original paintings in her possession.

According to the Joyu group, Joyu told the bankruptcy administrator Tuesday he would persuade the other group to stop paying Tomoko.

The Joyu group also sent 4 million yen to the administrator Wednesday as part of the compensation payment. It also said it will continue to pay compensation to the victims separately from its rival group.



Religion News Blog RSS feed Subscribe: Religion News Blog RSS feed  |  Religion News Blog RSS feed Subscribe by topic: Aum Shinrikyo
more cult news articlemore religion news More articles about Aum Shinrikyo

Like this story?

Today's Most Popular Articles

Doctor Says...

Share this

To share this page simply copy and paste one of these URL's:




Article and Site Tools

» PermaLink to: Aum Shinrikyo split over ‘fees’ to guru’s wife
   Need a shorter link? You can remove everything after the final /
» More news articles + news archive on Aum Shinrikyo
» More religion and cult news

Subscribe (RSS / Email) [What is RSS?]
» RSS News Feed - All Topics: Religion News Blog RSS Feed
» RSS News Feed - Single Topic: Aum Shinrikyo
» Headlines by Email: Daily Religion News Blog Headlines

More Article Tools
• Bookmark / Tag: Del.icio.us
• Bookmark / Tag: Furl
Save this article
Email this article
Print this article [Temporarily out of order]

More Information
Books about Aum Shinrikyo
Relevant books (and other goodies)

more religion news aboutmore Religion News Blog articles about

About Religion News Blog
Religion News Blog (RNB), published by Apologetics Index, highlights news items and other resources on world religions, cults, religious sects, alternative religions and related issues. RNB's non-profit news clipping service is used by - among others - Christian apologists, countercult professionals, anticult organizations, cult experts, teachers, religion professionals, reporters and other researchers.