Fumihiro Joyu

Fumihiro Joyu (上祐史浩 Jōyū Fumihiro; born 17 December 1962) was the spokesperson and public relations manager of the controversial Japanese doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, and has been the de facto chief of the organization since 1999.

Biography

Fumihiro Joyu, originally from the Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyushu island, graduated from Waseda University, one of Japan's most prestigious private colleges, with an M.A. degree in Artificial Intelligence. A few years later, he joined Aum Shinrikyo, at the time an obscure religious group founded by Shoko Asahara. Known for his relentless ascetic practice, he quickly advanced through the organisation's ranks. He was the head of New York branch of Aum Shinrikyo and translated several books by Shoko Asahara into English. After the cessation of Aum Shnrikyo activities in the US, he served as its public relations manager in Japan. From 1993 until 1995, he was head of Aum's Russian branches.

Summoned to Japan after the wave of arrests of senior followers following the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway; resumed his position as Aum Shinrikyo's spokeperson. He was arrested and tried for libel for publicly naming a third party as responsible for the sarin gas attack even though, according to the court, he "definitely knew that AUM was responsible." Some observers link Joyu's indictment to a supposed government attempt to "decapitate the cult." The arrest, lengthy trial and ultimate acquittal of Japan's famous attorney Yoshihiro Yasuda, the head of Shoko Asahara's legal team, a move which was harshly criticized by Human Rights Watch, is often cited in support of this hypothesis. Joyu sentenced to three years in prison.

At his release on 29 December 1999, he became the de facto head of the organisation. Under his leadership, Aum Shinrikyo has changed its name to Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The group has admitted responsibility for the various incidents involving some of its former senior members, apologized to the victims and established a special compensation fund for the victims.

Joyu's attempts to soften tensions with the society did not win him much praise, though. Judging by the statements made by the contry's government officials and unanimously critical media coverage, Aleph is still regarded as a threat.

An Icon for Teenage Girls

'During the height of Aum Shinrikyo arrests [...], Japan's teenaged girls found an icon: Joyu Fumihiro, the cult's "Information Minister." They had not the slightest interest in AUM, religious experience or Buddha but were crazy about Joyu because he was a "heart throb" as the press cynically wrote.' (from 'Slapstick on the Precipice: The Ascent of Koizumi Junichiro' by Alex Shishin). ([Full article: http://www.zmag.org/japanwatch/0106-Koizumi.html]

Named 'Virtuoso AUM Recruiter' by Asiaweek. Opinions on whether Joyu's charisma and popularity contributed to his legal troubles vary.

External Links

• Joyu Fumihiro's private website (in Japanese) (http://www.joyu.to) - Includes diaries, Q&A section, articles on subjects ranging from religion to world politics. Heavy flash-based graphics, many pictures of Joyu himself.

• "Air raids that victimize innocent people can only lead to the next terrorism and prolonged warfare." Fumihiro Joyu's views on the terrorist attacks of September 11th, the War on Terror and terrorism in general (in English) (http://english.aleph.to/pr/07.html). Excerpted and summarized from his private homepage.

• ASIAWeek: "The Cult that Won't Die" (http://66.102.11.104/search?q=cache:lVsr1DYzUgAJ:www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/asiaweek/98/1218/cs1-4.html+joyu+fumihiro&hl=en). Vanished to the memory hole. This link leads to Google's cache.

• Crimelibrary.com: "The Aum Supreme Truth Terrorist Organization" (http://www.crimelibrary.com/terrorists_spies/terrorists/prophet/1.html) Extensive history concerning Aum and its subsequent reorganization as the Aleph cult under Joyu.

• Japan Times: "You Just Have to Ask"  (http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?ff20020327a1.htm) - Reports on two documentary films by Tatsuya Mori, that received awards at the Berlin Documentary Film Festival, shown in Japan only theatrically. The films feature hours of footage, shot inside the AUM facilities, including Fumihiro Joyu's everyday activities.

• "I can boast that I have scrutinized Aum more than anyone else ever has." (http://www.asahi.com/english/opinion/TKY200403110121.html). Documentary filmmaker Tatsuya Mori, an op-ed column for Asahi Shimbun.

ja:上祐史浩