Keroyon Club
Keroyon Club is group of believers in Shoko Asahara founded with the goal of returning to the roots of Aum Shinrikyo.
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Yuko Kitazawa, the head of the club, was sentenced to 8 years in oprison for crime of inflicting bodily injury resulting in death on December 8, 2014.
The origin of group name comes from the fact that they carries around a frog (Kaeru) mascot, which is connected to the phrase "return to the origin (Genten ni Kaeru)"
Background edit
In 1995, the Tokyo subway sarin attack led to a police raid and arrest of Shoko Asahara and many other cult leaders.
They wanted to seal the doctrine they had been using and make Asahara's son the new foudner so that they could survive. In response to these movements of the cult, a group led by Yuko Kitazawa split from Aum Shinrikyo.
Villainy edit
Theft edit
In September 1996, the perpetrator was arrested for stealing portraits of emperors from a shrine in Miyazaki Prefecture.
Torture, murder and child abuse edit
The club engaged in various forms of torture and murder under the guise of "training".
On April 16, 2000, the incident occurred in which one of the members died in the middle of "warm training", a type of Aum Shinrikyo training. The water used for the training is said to be nearly 100℃, and Yuko Kitazawa is said to have directed this.
This incident was not filed as an accident.
On September 10, 2004, a member in training (older sister of the warm training's victim) was drugged with illegal drugs, bound with duct tape, and assaulted with a bamboo sword 2,800 times, resulting in her death. The members involved have been convicted.
Yuko Kitazawa, head of group was also charged with crime of inficting bodily injury resulting in death, and was sentenced to 8 years in prison on June 13, 2011.
On September 24, 2004, a case was uncovered in which believers were abusing five children by light cigrettes under the guise of "training". On September 24, the Public Security Bureau sent three persons, two of whom were charged with crime of inficting bodily injury resulting in death and another female believer, to jail on bodily harm.
The Children were taken into custody by the Tokyo Metropolitan Child Guidance Center in October of the same year.
In addition, the group had their believers perform other trainings such as "Konkororin" (rolling down a hill), swallowing 1kg of ice without crushing it, and "worm offering" (eating 1,000 live worms).
Features edit
They are based in Tokyo, and its activities are dispersed among apartment buildings and other housing complexed in Tokyo. Their members is about 30 to 40, most of them single women. They has maintained their devotion to Shoko Asahara and have kept the teachings and trainings of Aum Shinrikyo from the time when Shoko Asahara was the guru.