A doomsday cult member was spared the death penalty Tuesday after being found guilty of murder in the nerve gas attack that killed 12 people on Tokyo's subways.
In an unusually lenient sentence, Ikuo Hayashi, 51, a heart surgeon and one of the main leaders of the Aum Shinri Kyo, or Supreme Truth cult, was sentenced to life in prison, allowing him a chance for parole in about 20 years.The gassing on the commuter subways - the worst act of terrorism in modern Japan - shocked a nation that had taken safety on the streets for granted.
In handing down the verdict, the first in the March 1995 subway gas-sing, Judge Megumi Yamamuro said Hayashi was criminally responsible for his actions but had shown he was sorry, Japanese media reported.
Expressions of remorse are critical in Japanese court rulings, which are handed down by a panel of judges.
Hayashi was among the cult members accused of carrying sarin gas onto several trains in plastic bags, then poking the bags with sharpened umbrellas. As the gas spread, people collapsed on the platforms, bleeding from their mouths and noses.