Doomsday Cult Stripped Of Status

A Japanese court on Tuesday stripped Aum Shinri Kyo of its status as a religious group, in another move against the doomsday cult suspected in the fatal nerve-gas attack on the Tokyo subway.

The Tokyo High Court upheld a lower court ruling that deprived Aum of privileges given to Japan’s tens of thousands of officially registered religious corporations.

The lower court had cited the series of murders and other crimes attributed to the cult, including the March 20 gas attack on Tokyo’s subways that killed 12 people.

The cult now faces three separate legal actions that, barring an unexpected setback for the government, will strip it of its assets and prohibit its members from gathering.