Aum Shinrikyo: Ryugasaki's approach to cult is broader lesson in tolerance

At the start of this school year, new pupils entered elementary schools with anticipation and some trepidation. Among them were the fourth daughter and the two eldest sons of Chizuo Matsumoto, former leader of the Aum Shinrikyo cult.

Having initially refused to enroll the three children when they moved there last summer, the Ryugasaki city government in Ibaraki Prefecture has decided to accept them on the condition that they sever all ties to the cult, which now calls itself Aleph. Matsumoto's children thus now have a social environment in which they can settle down to their studies and have their first contacts with other children their age.

Some parents of other children in the same school are reported to be still somewhat concerned and resentful of the decision. To treat Matsumoto's children as outcasts and try to shun them, however, is not the answer. Furthermore, the children at the center of the issue are innocent. We respect the integrity and courage of city government officials who took the initiative in accepting them.

City residents and PTA leaders led the initiative, realizing the need to move forward, although they often wavered between reason and emotion. After talking with people in many of the other places that have dealt with the cult, they learned how Matsumoto's children got to their city and exchanged ideas with Shoko Egawa, a freelance journalist, and former Aum followers and others familiar with the cult through their specialization in religions.

After many months in such research, the Ryugasaki residents developed a clear understanding of Aum Shinrikyo, the circumstances of its followers and what other people should do about them. We hope that the former cult followers who are taking care of Matsumoto's children will fulfill their promises to the people of Ryugasaki.

The criticism should go to officials of the central and prefectural governments. Although they are in a position to try to ease the concerns of Ryugasaki residents while winning their understanding of accepting the Matsumoto children on the basis of the spirit of the Constitution and the Fundamentals of Education Law, they did nothing on their own, leaving everything to the residents. One community leader said, ``If the central and local governments had given us the correct information and acted as intermediaries between us and the cult, we could have arrived at a solution much sooner.'' His comment is a strong clue to how to deal with future problems relating to Aum Shinrikyo.

Cult followers must be released from Matsumoto's influence, their anxieties must be relieved and they must be assimilated into society. For that to happen, communication channels must be kept open and they must not be isolated, even though such an approach may seem disingenuous.
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Aum Shinrikyo's followers must repent past crimes and work to become accepted in society, for one thing, by not living together in large communes. At the same time, those around them must remember their loyalty to the Constitution and their sensitivities to human rights are also being challenged.

The experience of the people of Ryugasaki should be shared by us all. Future action should be based upon this experience. (The Asahi Shimbun, April 8)
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