Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 7, No. 3, 2008, Page 41
The Karasuyama area Aum Shinrikyo Measures resident council was formed on January 9,
2001 and consisted of the condominium residents, neighborhood and storekeepers‘
association, PTA members, and volunteers who were concerned about Aleph‘s activities.
This group conducted protest rallies and monitored and filed a petition against Aleph
members with the Setagaya Ward office. Its risk-management office offered consultation for
residents and study meetings, and advised school route changes for children.
The reason the ward directly opposed Aleph was that Aleph demanded that the deletion of
their resident cards be suspended via the Tokyo District Court on December 25, 2000,
claiming that the deletions violated a basic resident registry law and infringed their freedom
of movement and right to vote, which was guaranteed by the Constitution.
The court ruled in favor of Aleph, although the ward immediately filed an appeal. In April,
the Tokyo High Court overruled the District Court decision and rejected Aleph‘s petition, on
the grounds that the ward had the authority to investigate concerning the acceptance of
resident cards and Aleph had interfered with its investigation by applying for the movement
of resident cards separately. Aleph then made a special appeal. In June, the Supreme Court
overruled the High Court decision on the grounds that the ward did not have the authority
to investigate concerning the acceptance of resident-card movement and that the deletion
had caused serious damage to Aleph members. By this decision, the ward was compelled to
recover the resident cards. Furthermore, at the trial in which Aleph claimed damages from
the ward office, the Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of Aleph and ordered the ward to pay
compensation. The ward office appealed, however, but this was rejected by the Tokyo High
Court in May 2002, and the ward office finally renounced an appellate procedure to the
Supreme Court. As a result, the ward had to pay a fifteen million yen settlement to Aleph.
The Tokyo District Court also admitted other claims of Aleph concerning the case of the
moving-in notification, which had been rejected in March and April 2002.
Period Two
In the activity of the second period, while the residential council also held another study
meeting on the ―cult‖ problem and sought countermeasures, the ward communicated
mutually with local governments that had the same problem and formulated a strategy in
conjunction with concerned government agencies in quest of measures against Aleph.
The ward had to change the policy of direct opposition to Aleph, which had resulted in the
verdict of unlawful rejection of resident card moving. The ward set up a task force on the
Aleph problem in Congress and hosted town and village liaison meetings for Aum Shinrikyo
countermeasures in May, 2003 and requested action of the Prime Minister, Minister of Public
Management, Home Affairs, Minister of Justice, Director-General of Public Security
Investigation, and Director-General of the National Police Agency. The ward also enforced
―the Setagaya Ward safe and sound community building‖ regulation from June 2003.
Although the activity of the ward and the residential council was well-known in the
Karasuyama area, as seen in the example of the banner ―opposition to Aum‖ on the ward
office building, not all residents of Setagaya Ward shared the same sense of crisis. This
holds true for residents in the Karasuyama area. The anxiety of the condominium residents
who lived by the headquarters of Aleph was different from that of local residents in general,
which caused the differences in their struggles for opposition measures. The menace of
Aleph for Setagaya Ward and its residents was so abstract that they just wanted to protect
their ideal community. In contrast, for residents compelled to share a condominium with
Aleph members, their living environment changed completely, since daily they had to face
Aleph members and were beset with troubles.
From my in-depth interviews with condominium residents, the following grievances came to
the fore: 1) chanting and voices leaking out from the ceremony hall on the first floor, and
The Karasuyama area Aum Shinrikyo Measures resident council was formed on January 9,
2001 and consisted of the condominium residents, neighborhood and storekeepers‘
association, PTA members, and volunteers who were concerned about Aleph‘s activities.
This group conducted protest rallies and monitored and filed a petition against Aleph
members with the Setagaya Ward office. Its risk-management office offered consultation for
residents and study meetings, and advised school route changes for children.
The reason the ward directly opposed Aleph was that Aleph demanded that the deletion of
their resident cards be suspended via the Tokyo District Court on December 25, 2000,
claiming that the deletions violated a basic resident registry law and infringed their freedom
of movement and right to vote, which was guaranteed by the Constitution.
The court ruled in favor of Aleph, although the ward immediately filed an appeal. In April,
the Tokyo High Court overruled the District Court decision and rejected Aleph‘s petition, on
the grounds that the ward had the authority to investigate concerning the acceptance of
resident cards and Aleph had interfered with its investigation by applying for the movement
of resident cards separately. Aleph then made a special appeal. In June, the Supreme Court
overruled the High Court decision on the grounds that the ward did not have the authority
to investigate concerning the acceptance of resident-card movement and that the deletion
had caused serious damage to Aleph members. By this decision, the ward was compelled to
recover the resident cards. Furthermore, at the trial in which Aleph claimed damages from
the ward office, the Tokyo District Court ruled in favor of Aleph and ordered the ward to pay
compensation. The ward office appealed, however, but this was rejected by the Tokyo High
Court in May 2002, and the ward office finally renounced an appellate procedure to the
Supreme Court. As a result, the ward had to pay a fifteen million yen settlement to Aleph.
The Tokyo District Court also admitted other claims of Aleph concerning the case of the
moving-in notification, which had been rejected in March and April 2002.
Period Two
In the activity of the second period, while the residential council also held another study
meeting on the ―cult‖ problem and sought countermeasures, the ward communicated
mutually with local governments that had the same problem and formulated a strategy in
conjunction with concerned government agencies in quest of measures against Aleph.
The ward had to change the policy of direct opposition to Aleph, which had resulted in the
verdict of unlawful rejection of resident card moving. The ward set up a task force on the
Aleph problem in Congress and hosted town and village liaison meetings for Aum Shinrikyo
countermeasures in May, 2003 and requested action of the Prime Minister, Minister of Public
Management, Home Affairs, Minister of Justice, Director-General of Public Security
Investigation, and Director-General of the National Police Agency. The ward also enforced
―the Setagaya Ward safe and sound community building‖ regulation from June 2003.
Although the activity of the ward and the residential council was well-known in the
Karasuyama area, as seen in the example of the banner ―opposition to Aum‖ on the ward
office building, not all residents of Setagaya Ward shared the same sense of crisis. This
holds true for residents in the Karasuyama area. The anxiety of the condominium residents
who lived by the headquarters of Aleph was different from that of local residents in general,
which caused the differences in their struggles for opposition measures. The menace of
Aleph for Setagaya Ward and its residents was so abstract that they just wanted to protect
their ideal community. In contrast, for residents compelled to share a condominium with
Aleph members, their living environment changed completely, since daily they had to face
Aleph members and were beset with troubles.
From my in-depth interviews with condominium residents, the following grievances came to
the fore: 1) chanting and voices leaking out from the ceremony hall on the first floor, and
