オウム事件―この過ちを伝えてゆく

ああ言えば上祐（ああいえばチョウいう）の上祐さん、元気ですね＾＾。
彼は罰せられないのかしら。
（スラチャイ）

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 22
EDITORIAL: Lessons from Aum Shinrikyo's crimes must be handed down
オウム事件―この過ちを伝えてゆく

All the trials for the series of crimes perpetrated by the Aum Shinrikyo cult are now over.
　オウム真理教をめぐる一連の刑事裁判がすべて終わった。

Already, as many as 22 years have passed since the 1989 murder of lawyer Tsutsumi Sakamoto and his family, which marked the beginning of the grisly saga of crimes committed by the cult's members.
　教団暴走の原点ともいうべき坂本弁護士一家殺害事件から２２年。

And 16 years have passed since cult founder Chizuo Matsumoto, also known as Shoko Asahara, was arrested and indicted.
教祖の逮捕・起訴からも、１６年の月日が流れた。

Many Japanese probably still remember what they were doing on that day in 1995 when the group carried out the sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system.
　地下鉄にサリンがまかれたあの日。自分が何をしていたか、覚えている人は多いだろう。

To Japanese of a certain age or younger, however, all these murders and terror attacks carried out by Aum cultists probably look like what happened in a distant world.
一方で、ある年齢より下の若者の目には、遠い世界の出来事と映っているのではないか。

Whenever the cult and its atrocious acts are discussed, we are told not to allow these incidents to be forgotten. We couldn't agree more, given the shock and consternation the group's crimes caused not just in Japan but in the rest of the world.
　事件を風化させるな。いつも語られる言葉だが、日本だけでなく世界に及ぼした衝撃を思うと、その感はいっそう深い。

In a society regarded as affluent and safe, a group that justified murders was born. And many young people apparently lost their sense of morality as they got involved in the group and brought ruin upon themselves.
　豊かで安全と思っていた社会に、殺人を正当化する集団が生まれ、その中で多くの青年が自分を見失って、破滅の道を歩んだ。

Japanese who lived in the era when Aum Shinrikyo was active have a duty to pass the facts about the cult and its crimes to generations who will be the leaders of tomorrow so that the lessons learned from the experiences will not be lost.
明日を担う層にこの事実を伝え、過ちを繰り返させない。オウムと同じ時代を生きた世代の務めといえる。

The trials have brought to light some new facts about why these indicted former members joined the group and how they committed the crimes. But they have left many important questions unanswered.
　入信の動機や犯行のいきさつなど、これまでの審理で分かったこともあれば、なお霧の中のものもある。

There are inevitably limitations to what the trials of individual cultists facing criminal charges can reveal about Aum Shinrikyo and its deeds.
個々の信徒の刑事責任を追及する裁判にはおのずと限界がある。

It is crucial to lay a solid foundation for a continued public conversation about Aum based on the outcomes of the trials.
裁判の成果を引き継ぎつつ、「オウム」について考え続ける環境を整えていくことが大切だ。

People and organizations in the private sector, including academics and media, will have to play the leading role in such efforts.
　学者やメディアなど「民」の取り組みが中心になろうが、

But the Diet, for instance, should also do its part by taking steps like commissioning a research team to interview people concerned and collect and analyze related records to share with the public.
たとえば国会が、関係者からの聞き取りや記録の収集・分析を研究チームに委託し、その結果をみんなで共有する。そんな作業も必要ではないか。

Many former members say they intend to keep facing their past involvement in the cult and trying to deepen their thoughts.
　「これからも当時の自分に向き合って、考えを深めていきたい」と話す元信徒は多いという。

Society should pay serious attention to their soul-searching and thoughts, and hold sincere conversations with them.
社会の側もその答えや思いを受けとめ、意見を交換する。

We hope such steady efforts will help prevent a recurrence of similar tragedies.
地道な営みが、再発の防止につながることを願いたい。

Aum's crime rampage has brought about some important changes in Japanese society.
　オウム事件は日本の姿を大きく変えた。

In the area of criminal justice, laws and systems have been reformed to eliminate lengthy trials and establish the rights of crime victims.
刑事司法の分野を見ても、長すぎる裁判をなくすことや、犯罪被害者の権利の確立を目的に、法律や制度の見直しが進んだ。

But Japan still has a long way to go to reach the international norm in its ability to deal with organized crimes.
一方で組織的な犯罪に立ち向かう体制づくりは、世界標準に照らして、なお遅れているとの指摘がある。

The challenge facing Japan is how to build up a society where people can live with a sense of security while reining in excessive investigations and law enforcement actions.
　いきすぎた捜査・摘発に歯止めをかけつつ、人びとが安心して暮らせる世の中をどうやって築くか。

This challenge requires continued and careful debate for building consensus among the people.
合意に向けた議論を、これからも丁寧に積み重ねていかなければならない。

Another important consequence of Aum's crimes is weakened resistance to the death penalty within our society.
　もうひとつ見逃せないのは、死刑に対する抵抗感が社会全体から薄れたことだ。

Public opinion has been demanding severe punishment for heinous crimes, while the judiciary's judgments that reflect the popular trend have reinforced the hard-line public attitude toward the issue.
世論が厳罰を求め、それを受けた司法の判断が世論をさらに強固にする。

Japan has been bucking the trend of international opinion that calls for abolition of capital punishment.
少なくとも国際的な潮流と異なる方向に日本は進んできた。

Deciding on whether Japan should stay the course is another serious challenge Aum Shinrikyo has left us to tackle.
　このままでいいのか。これもまた、オウムが私たちに突きつけた重く厳しい課題である。