Lawyers for Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara said Monday they have asked the Tokyo High Court to suspend his appeal case on the grounds that he is incompetent to stand trial.
The lawyers told a news conference they have met with Asahara, 49, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, more than 30 times since July, but he never once reacted when they spoke to him.
A psychiatrist who met with Asahara at the lawyers' request has submitted an opinion to the court that he may be suffering from a brain disorder or a legitimate mental disorder caused by his long detention, or that he may simply be pretending or observing silence as part of some sort of religious activity.
The psychiatrist said Asahara should undergo a full mental competency evaluation.
Takeshi Matsui, one of Asahara's lawyers, said, "We have serious reservations about proceeding with the trial without having him tested for illness or giving him any medical treatment."
Asahara was sentenced to death by the Tokyo District Court in February over 13 charges, including the deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.