17-07-2025
Saitama police find tens of millions of yen at residence of family of ex-Aum leader Shoko Asahara
SAITAMA (TR) – Saitama Prefectural Police said this week that they found tens of millions of yen in cash at the residence of the wife and second son of former Aum Shinrikyo cult leader Shoko Asahara during a search earlier this year, reports Jiji Press (July 15).
In 2018, the justice ministry executed Asahara — born under the name Chizuo Matsumoto — while he was on death row for the carrying out of the deadly sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway system in 1995. For decades, authorities have monitored successor groups to Aum.
According to the Public Security Intelligence Agency and other related parties, the wife and second son do not belong to Aleph, which is one of the cult's successor groups. However, it is believed that the group is trying to make the second son the successor to Matsumoto as the guru of the group.
Public security authorities are on high alert in tracking the second son's movements. They are also interested in the financial support his widow is receiving, which makes the source of the cash critical.
In 2018, the justice ministry executed Asahara while he was on death row for the carrying out of the deadly sarin gas attack on Tokyo's subway system in 1995 Supporting the wife's lifestyle
According to an investigator, the Public Security Agency attempted to conduct an on-site inspection of the apartment in Koshigaya City in March under the Organization Control Act. However, Matsumoto's widow did not comply.
After receiving a complaint from the Public Security Agency, the prefectural police instead conducted a search in mid-April on suspicion of violating the Group Control Law. During that search, they found several tens of millions of yen in cash stored in various compartments inside.
Since deciding on surveillance measures for Aum-related parties in 2000, the Public Security Agency has conducted approximately 600 on-site inspections of three successor groups, including Aleph. However, the residence of Matsumoto's widow and second son is not a typical target.
According to the agency, it has been revealed that Aleph paid Matsumoto's widow approximately 400,000 yen per month from 2002 to 2006 as royalties for the use of paintings she had done. As well, the funding is believed to have continued beyond 2006, which led public security authorities to believe that Aleph may be effectively supporting her lifestyle.
The agency also says that Matsumoto named his second son as one of his successors while he was alive. As well, it appears that Aleph is trying to make him the leader of the group. For this reason, they suspect that the group is providing financial support to the family. Rejoin the cult
Since 2013, Matsumoto's widow has tried to have her second son join Aleph, but her third daughter and others have opposed this, which has led to internal conflicts within the group's leadership. Around 2015, some of its followers split off and became known as the Yamada Group.
The Supreme Court has ordered Aleph to pay approximately 1.025 billion yen in compensation to victims of a series of crimes committed by the cult, including the aforementioned sarin gas attack, but the group has not complied.
In accordance with the Organization Control Act, Aleph reported assets to the government of approximately 1.3 billion yen in 2019. However, the figure was only approximately 61 million yen as reported in February 2025.
