Aum earns Y30 mil in seminar fees, donations so far this summer

Kyodo News Service in Japan Today/August 20, 2005

TOKYO -- The Aum Shinrikyo cult, which perpetrated the deadly sarin attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995, has earned about 30 million yen by holding intensive seminars this summer attended by about 300 members, police sources said Saturday.

According to police, Aum earned income through such means as collecting fees and donations at seminars held Aug 9-15 at 11 locations nationwide, including Yashio, Saitama Prefecture, and Osaka's Nishinari Ward, the sources said. According to the Justice Ministry, Aum had about 650 live-in followers and about 1,000 other followers at the end of last year, maintaining 26 facilities in 17 prefectures. It also had about 300 followers in Russia.