Cult Tied to Subway Attack Offers Money to Victims

As part of its campaign to clean up its image, the cult accused in the 1995 nerve gas attack on Tokyo subways offered Saturday to pay $1.14 million a year as compensation to the victims.

Tatsuko Muraoka, who replaced Shoko Asahara as guru of the Aum Supreme Truth cult this month, said several tens of thousands of dollars will be paid to the victims immediately.

“I don’t intend to deny that I bear a heavy responsibility,” said Fumihiro Joyu, one of the cult’s leaders, appearing before reporters for the first time since his release from prison last month after serving time on perjury and forgery charges.

It was not immediately clear how many people the cult was offering to compensate.

Aum, which recently changed its name to Aleph, said it will start a personal computer company and transfer all proceeds into a victims’ fund.

Tokyo toughened its laws last month to let authorities seize Aum’s assets more easily and monitor the cult more closely. A government panel is preparing to announce this week what effect the decision will have on Aum.

Last month, the cult apologized for the gassing that killed 12 people and injured more than 5,000--something it had long refused to do. The expressions of contrition, however, have been received with deep skepticism by the public not only because of the timing but also because the cult has not opened its books.

Police say Aum earns about $66 million a year from its discount computer chain stores. The cult is believed to operate other businesses and have revenue from followers’ donations. It also can sell its assets.