Religious Sect Members Arrested

    日本异教卷入暴力事件

    20 women were arrested by Japanese authorities in Komoro, Japan on suspicions of beating to death 63-year-old sushi restaurant owner Motoko Okuno. The women were all members of a secretive Shinto religious sect called Kigankai. Around 400 police officers raided the sect's headquarters in Komoro, seizing documents and questioning senior sect officials. Authorities believe Okuno, also a member of the sect, was subjected to an hour-long beating that led to her death for failing to properly carry out a religious ritual. Authorities initially suspected Okuno's immediate relatives, including her husband, daughters, and son-in-law. The relatives admitted that the violence was the result of persistent family quarrels. However, authorities began to suspect the involvement of Kigankai and focused the investigation on them after learning that all of the relatives they questioned were members of the mysterious sect. One of Kigankai's rules is that all family members of new devotees must also join, and authorities believe that Okuno was coerced into joining the sect. Okuno's relatives are suspected of covering up for Kigankai, and her husband was even arrested for destroying evidence. Kigankai has been active for more than 35 years and is believed to have around 300 followers. The group is infamous for extracting "donations" from its followers, selling its believers "spiritual stones" and mineral water purported to cure all ills for very high prices. They also participate in strange rituals, such as throwing fruit, vegetables, and fried food into the local river as offerings. Moreover, groups such as Kigankai have been unable to avoid the stigma attached to small religious groups after the Aum Shinrikyo cult released sarin gas on the Tokyo subway system in 1995. ......