High Court Orders Ex-Aum Leader’s Remains Handed Over to 2nd Daughter

Tokyo, Feb. 5 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo High Court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling ordering the Japanese government to hand over the remains of Chizuo Matsumoto, former leader of now-defunct religious cult Aum Shinrikyo, to his second daughter. The government cremated the body of Matsumoto, also known as Shoko Asahara, after he was executed in July 2018, and preserved the remains, according to the high court ruling. The second daughter had demanded that the government hand over the remains to her, saying that it did not have the right to refuse the request. The government had said that if the remains were handed over, they would be misused by the cult’s successor group and followers, harming public safety. Yasushi Kanokogi, presiding judge at the high court, said in Thursday’s ruling that the second daughter has expressed her intention not to transfer the remains to the successor group. In addition, the judge said, the second daughter planned to keep the remains in a safe at her home with a security contract, determining that her way of storing the remains is not inappropriate. The judge concluded that the request for the handover does not constitute an abuse of rights, dismissing the government’s appeal against the Tokyo District Court ruling in 2024. After the family members of Matsumoto argued over who should inherit his remains, a family court decision designating the second daughter as the recipient was finalized in 2021. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]