Tokyo's Adachi Ward fighting to keep AUM cult offshoot from planting roots in district

Demonstrators march outside the building in Tokyo's Adachi Ward owned by the Aleph religious group on Nov. 28. (Mainichi)Officials in Tokyo's Adachi Ward are boosting security in the vicinity of a building owned by the Aleph religious group -- created by the leading faction within the AUM Shinrikyo cult -- after the group switched the building's primary use to "office" from "dormitory," raising concerns it intends to make the structure a meeting hall.

According to ward officials, Aleph submitted the documents for the building use change on Nov. 4. In October, the ward passed a special regulation designed to prevent Aleph believers from moving into the building. It is thought that the official switch to office use is designed to get around provisions in the rule that refer specifically to believers claiming residency in the ward. The ward assembly is apparently planning to revise the special regulation in December to allow intense observation of the Aleph property even if believers do not move into the building.

Meanwhile, some 200 local residents staged a demonstration around the building on Nov. 28 calling for measures to obstruct Aleph's plans, with protesters chanting, "We don't need AUM in this peaceful neighborhood." At a citizens' meeting after the march, Yoichi Saito, who chairs a local anti-Aleph council, roundly condemned Aleph's presence, stating, "It will destroy the peace of this district," and asked for everyone's cooperation in obstructing Aleph's activities in the area.

Taro Takimoto, an attorney and expert on the AUM cult, also warned the attendees to be wary of Aleph advances, saying, "AUM has succeeded in sucking in members of other residents' associations. I would ask everyone to be on their guard against the cult's approaches."

It is thought that Aleph intends to shift some functions from its headquarters in Setagaya Ward to the four-story building, which was undergoing internal renovations when the Public Security Intelligence Agency conducted an inspection on Nov. 1.

"The intention of the change of use is not clear, but the possibility that Aleph believers will move into the building has not been eliminated," an Adachi Ward official has stated