TOKYO - The Supreme Court on Friday rejected an appeal against the death sentence for former Aum Shinrikyo cult member Yasuo Hayashi, who was convicted of murder for releasing deadly sarin gas in a Tokyo subway car in 1995 and involvement in another sarin attack in Nagano Prefecture.
Hayashi, 50, will follow four others who have had death sentences finalized in connection with a series of crimes committed by the group including Aum founder Shoko Asahara, 52, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto. According to the ruling, Hayashi conspired with Matsumoto and others in perpetrating the deadly gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in March 1995. Twelve people were killed and more than 5,000 were injured in the attack.
