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Shōkō Asahara

Founder of the Japanese new religious group Aum Shinrikyo

  • Fame61.1
  • Momentum2.2
  • Wikipedia88.2K
Lived 1955–2018, aged 63Japan
Japan flagJapanWritersWriter / Author
  • Wikipedia
    48 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1955–2018
    Aged 63
  • Known for
    Me and the Cult Leader…
    2021
Summary
Updated 2026-06-24

Shoko Asahara , born Chizuo Matsumoto , was a Japanese cult leader and terrorist who founded and led the doomsday cult known as Aum Shinrikyo. He was convicted of masterminding the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway which killed 14 people and injured thousands more, and was also involved in several other assassinations and terrorist attacks. Asahara was sentenced to death in 2004, and his final appeal failed in 2011. In June 2012, his execution was postponed due to further arrests of Aum members. He was ultimately executed along with other senior members of Aum Shinrikyo on July 6, 2018.

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Fame
Stable
61.1
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum2.2
Historical27.2
Now attention7.8
Source confidence65.0
Completeness60.0
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