Lawyers for the founder of Japan's Aum Supreme Truth sect, responsible for the 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack, are considering whether to conduct tests to see if he is insane, reports said Wednesday.
"The defendant's lawyers ... are considering applying to the Tokyo District Court for a psychiatric examination to be conducted" on Shoko Asahara, the daily Mainichi Shimbun reported.
"There is a possibility the defendant might have developed a psychological disorder, and lost his capacity to be tried because of his mental reaction to custody," Asahara's lawyers told the Mainichi Shimbun.
Defence lawyers were not immediately available for comment.
Created by Asahara, a charismatic, half-blind man, the sect shocked the world when Asahara's disciples released Nazi-invented sarin gas in the Tokyo subway on March 20 1995 to avenge a police crackdown on the cult.
The subway gassing killed 12 people and injured thousands of others. Asahara, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, was arrested on May 16 1995 and has been held in custody ever since, but the authorities have said they believe he still has a firm grip on the sect. The self-styled guru is on trial facing multiple charges including murder for masterminding the subway attack.
"If the examination finds the defendant Matsumoto is not (mentally) capable of standing trial, the lawyers will ask the district court to halt the trial procedure," the paper said.
"There is a possibility that the trial procedure will be stopped and his capacity to take responsibility will also be challenged," by the defence lawyers Jiji Press reported.
The prosecution's case in the trial which started on April 24 1996 is expected to wind up by the end of this year, Jiji Press said. The sect, which has escaped being banned outright, admitted its involvement in the subway attack for the first time in December 1999 and apologised to the victims. In January 2000 it changed its name to Aleph as part of a facelift and now has about 1,200 followers.
Although virtually all the cult's leaders at the time of the attack have been jailed, the government said the group still poses a threat to Japanese society and security authorities remain vigilant, with police periodically mounting raids on the sect's property.