spokesperson
A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman, is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others.
Duties and function
In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...
and
public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...
manager of the Japanese doomsday cult
Aum Shinrikyo
, formerly , is a Japanese doomsday cult founded by Shoko Asahara in 1987. It carried out the deadly Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995 and was found to have been responsible for the Matsumoto sarin attack the previous year.
The group says tha ...
, and served as the ''de facto'' chief of the organization from 1999 to 2007, when he split and formed a new group.
Background
Fumihiro Joyu, originally from
Kurume, Fukuoka
is a Cities of Japan, city in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 303,579 and a population density of 1,320 persons per km². The total area is 229.96 km².
On February 5, 2005, the town o ...
in
Kyūshū
is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...
, graduated from
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the ''Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō'' by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902.
The university has numerou ...
, one of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
's most prestigious private colleges, with an M.A. degree in
artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech re ...
.
Spokesperson for Aum Shinrikyo
Summoned to Japan after the arrests of senior followers following the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, he resumed his position as Aum Shinrikyo's spokesperson. He was arrested and tried for "inciting others to make false statements during
992
Year 992 ( CMXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Worldwide
* Winter – A superflare from the sun causes an Aurora Borealis, with visibility as fa ...
court hearings". Some observers linked Joyu's indictment to a supposed government attempt to "decapitate the cult". The arrest, lengthy trial, and subsequent acquittal of Japan's veteran attorney and Human Rights activist
Yoshihiro Yasuda
Yoshihiro Yasuda (安田 好弘 ''Yasuda Yoshihiro'', born December 4, 1947) is a famed and controversial lawyer in Japan who is known for his anti-death penalty activism. With the death penalty being a prominent method of prosecution in the Japa ...
, then head of Shoko Asahara's legal team, a move which was harshly criticized by
Human Rights Watch
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
, is often cited in support of this hypothesis.
Joyu would often argue with reporters during press conferences. Especially after the
sarin
Sarin (NATO designation GB G-series, "B"">Nerve_agent#G-series.html" ;"title="hort for Nerve agent#G-series">G-series, "B" is an extremely toxic synthetic organophosphorus compound.
Aleph
Aleph (or alef or alif, transliterated ʾ) is the first letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician , Hebrew , Aramaic , Syriac , Arabic ʾ and North Arabian 𐪑. It also appears as South Arabian 𐩱 and Ge'ez .
These letter ...
, the first letter of the Carthaginian alphabet. The group has admitted responsibility for the various incidents involving some of its former senior members, including the Tokyo Subway gas attack, delivered apologies to the victims, and established a special compensations fund. Some of the controversial doctrines that previously attracted criticisms were removed. Most of the time, Joyu resided within Aum's religious facilities with occasional trips to the outside world. Police officials were quoted as advising him to refrain from public activities as they 'could not guarantee his safety'.
Joyu's attempts to soften tensions with society did not win him much praise, though. Judging from the statements made by the country's government officials and unanimously critical media coverage, Aleph is still regarded as a threat.
The Circle of Rainbow Light (2007–present)
Leadership split into two opposing factions by the end of 2005, according to the Japanese media quoting the
Public Security Intelligence Agency
The is the national intelligence agency of Japan. It is administered by the Ministry of Justice in the government of Japan, and is tasked with internal security and espionage against threats to Japanese national security based on the Subversive A ...
(PSIA), which has been monitoring Aleph since 1999. While the fundamentalist faction wishes to keep the organization as close to its pre-1995 ideal, Joyu and his reformer supporters advocate a milder course, aimed at softening social tensions and re-integration into society.
Opposing factions split in late summer 2006, with Joyu and his supporters (among them many former Aum leaders) residing in a separate building in Tokyo and calling themselves
Hikari no Wa
''Hikari no Wa'' or ''The Circle of Rainbow Light'' (光の輪, literally "Circle of Light") is a Japanese new religious movement started in 2007. It was founded by , the previous spokesperson and public relations manager of the Japanese Buddhis ...
(The Circle of Rainbow Light). According to Joyu, many of the members have not taken sides yet, and keep staying with the opposing group. It was raided by PSIA agents on 10 May 2007.Cult group of former Aum official inspected by public safety agency. Retrieved 10 May 2007.
Tatsuya Mori
is a Japanese documentary filmmaker, TV director and author.
Career
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture, Mori graduated from Rikkyo University, where he appeared in the student films of Kiyoshi Kurosawa. After graduating, he tried acting and even app ...