Hikari no Wa

Symbol

The group is symbolized by the sun surrounded by a gold wheel with a rainbow circle in the design. The wheel symbolizes that Hikari no Wa is equal to other religions and the light in the design is a symbol of wisdom and spirituality.

History

Many of the remaining followers of Aum Shinrikyo founder and convicted terrorist Shoko Asahara formed Aleph five years after the Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995.

Hikari no Wa split from Aleph in 2007 and publicized the intention of "completely discarding the influence of Aum founder Shoko Asahara."

At its foundation, the group had 57 live-in followers and nine other executives with 106 lay members.

The group is said to organize gatherings and pilgrimages, visiting places deemed holy by different religions and distributing sermons on various aspects of Buddhism. The group's leader Joyu positions himself as an authority in the field of spirituality, who gained 'spiritual experience' which he is sharing with members of the group.

Government surveillance status

The Japanese Public Security Intelligence Agency said the group would remain subject to surveillance under the law. Japan's Public Security Examination Commission considers Aleph and Hikari no Wa to be branches of a "dangerous religion" and announced in January 2015 that they would remain under surveillance for three more years.

The Japanese government ended surveillance of Hikari no Wa in 2017 due to a legal challenge, but continued to keep Aleph under watch. On February 28, 2019, the Tokyo High Court ruled that another extension of the group's surveillance would be allowed, reversing the earlier decision that caused monitoring to be discontinued in 2017. The court's decision was based on the fact that Hikari no Wa has members who were involved in Aum Shinrikyo and there is no evidence of a major change between the former group and the current group.

References

References

1. Bafelli, Erica. "Hikari no Wa (ひかりの 輪)". World Religions and Spirituality Project.
2. (7 May 2007). "Former Aum Shinrikyo cult spokesman sets up new group". Religious News Blog.
3. "Aum Shinrikyo - Council on Foreign Relations". cfr.org.
4. [http://fas.org/irp/congress/1995_rpt/aum/part06.htm VI. Overseas Operations]. Global Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Case Study on the Aum Shinrikyo. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
5. (22 May 1995). "Chronology: Events involving Aum Shinrikyo". The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Incorporated.
6. (26 July 2018). "Chronology of major events related to AUM Shinrikyo cult". Kyodo News.
7. [http://www.apologeticsindex.org/526-hikari-no-wa "Hikari no Wa Circle of Rainbow Light"] ''Apologetics Index''. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
8. [http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/406326 Cult group of former Aum official inspected by public safety agency.] {{Webarchive. link. (2007-10-13 Retrieved on May 10, 2007.)
9. [[National Police Agency (Japan)]] (2009), {{nihongo. [http://www.npa.go.jp/english/kokusai9/WHITE_PAPER_on_POLICE2009.htm "The White Paper on Police 2009]. 平成21年警察白書. Heisei Nijūichi nen Keisatsu Hakusyo), GYOSEI Corporation, English p. 160.
10. (24 January 2015). "Surveillance of Aum successor cults extended three more years". Japan Times.
11. (25 September 2017). "Court lets Aum splinter group Hikari no Wa off surveillance but keeps Aleph in check". [[The Japan Times]].
12. [https://www.nippon.com/en/news/yjj2019022801011/tokyo-court-backs-extended-surveillance-of-aum-linked-group.html "Tokyo Court Backs Extended Surveillance of Aum-Linked Group"] {{Webarchive. link. (2020-06-02 . ''Nippon.com''. Retrieved March 7, 2019.)