Silent Death March: Memories of Aum and Bioterrorism
In the 1990s, Japan was the scene of unprecedented terrorist attacks using chemical weapons by the Aum Shinrikyo cult, including the 1995 Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, in which 14 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured when highly poisonous sarin gas was sprayed on commuter trains in Tokyo. The cult incorporated science and technology into its beliefs, and some of its followers were scientists and doctors; a similar sarin gas spraying occurred in Matsumoto in 1994, followed by indiscriminate attacks involving civilians. In addition, attempts were made to cultivate anthrax and botulinum, and bioterrorism was nearly carried out in Japan, although no attempt was made. Meanwhile, in the U.S. in 2001, five people were killed when a mail package containing anthrax was sent to them shortly after 9/11. What these events have in common is that the invisible poison and fear transformed people's lives. When the power of science is combined with religion and violen
ce, death quietly but surely invades the everyday.
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