Aum Shinrikyo's financial administrators said Tuesday that they have asked Aleph -- the new name the cult gave itself -- to pay the 4.1 billion yen that it owes in compensation to the victims of the March 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.
Speaking at a press conference, lawyer Saburo Abe said he urged the cult to admit responsibility for its crimes and compensate the victims because it is the right thing to do -- not as "donations" as stipulated under Aleph's charter.
Abe also urged the cult to discard the name Aleph.
The demands of the administrators include having Aum pay 1 billion yen of its 4.1 billion yen in debt over the next five years with payment of 20 percent to 25 percent of that amount within six months. It must also pay at least 200 million yen a year to a victims' fund set up by the administrators to cover the rest of the debt.
Cult spokesman Hiroshi Araki issued a statement saying the conditions were severe, but that the group is "seriously considering" the demand. and will decide by the middle of this month.