Japan police arrest Life Space cult leader

Japan police arrest Life Space cult leader
REUTERS

TOKYO, FEB 22: Japanese police on Tuesday arrested a cult guru who believes he can cure illness by patting people on the head, signalling a tougher stance by Japan against religious cults.

Koji Takahashi, leader of a cult called `Life Space', was arrested with six followers in connection with the death of a 66-year-old sect follower whose mummified body was found in a hotel room last November.

His family claimed he was still alive and receiving treatment for a brain haemorrhage by getting pats on the head from Takahashi.

Police, who later raided facilities belonging to the cult, found children crammed into an apartment, apparently kept away from school and fed only once a day.

Japanese authorities have been cracking down on cults recently amid fears that membership in fringe anti-social religious groups is rising. The Doomsday group accused of a fatal 1995 gas attack on the Tokyo subway system was placed under surveillance by the government on February 1 under the new law.

Police has since raided several branches of the Aum Shinri Kyo (supreme truth) cult despite a lawsuit filed by the group claiming the government was violating its freedoms.