Roundup: Japan marks 20th anniversary of cult's deadly sarin attack on Tokyo subway

Japan paid respects to the lives lost in the Aum Shinrikyo cult sarin nerve gas attack on a Tokyo subway system on March 20th, 1995, exactly 20 years ago, that killed 13 people and left more than 6,000 others with severe injuries.

A memorial service was held at Kasumigaseki Station, a station frequently used by civil servants, government staff and lawmakers due to its proximity to the Diet building and a number of ministerial buildings and offices, during which employees of the station observed a moment of silence at 8 a.m., the time of the attack 20 years ago.

Two station staff were also killed in the heinous attack, which struck on three major subway lines on the busy Tokyo Metro system at the peak of rush hour.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe laid flowers in honor of the dead and told the press that he would "like to offer my condolences to the victims. We will do all we can so something like this will never happen".

The relatives of the victims and other mourners gathered at the station, laid flowers and also offered silent prayers.

One wife of a stationmaster who lost his life after heroically removing one of the noxious bags of sarin off the train, said that there had been too many tragedies and that young people should remember what Aum really did.

Other mourners and relatives of lives lost on that fateful day agreed that the incident must never be forgotten for the sake of the younger generations, while at the same time insisting that all measures be taken to ensure such heinous attacks aren't allowed to take place in the future.

Alters were also set up at five other subway stations on the network where lives were also lost, so mourners and station personnel could pay their respects.

As it stands, 13 members of the cult, including Chizuo Matsumoto, the 60-year-old founder of Aum, who is more commonly known by his chosen name of Shoko Asahara, are on death row waiting execution for their part in the deadly fatal gas attacks and other cult-related crimes. Five other former cult members have been given life sentences.

According to official police accounts, on Monday March 20, 1995, five members of the cult launched a coordinated chemical attack on the Tokyo subway, one of the world's busiest, at the peak of the morning rush hour.

Liquid sarin was placed in basic plastic bags and each attack team wrapped the bags in a layer of newspaper to conceal the deadly contents.

Most of the perpetrators carried two packets, each contained around 900 milliliters of the deadly sarin.

The cult's initial plan was to release the sarin through aerosols to achieve a wider spread of the gas, but this plan flopped.

Along with their deadly packets, the attack teams also carried umbrellas with their tips sharpened and boarded their trains. At their respective station the packets were dumped on the floor of the train and punctured repeatedly with the sharpened umbrellas.

Each perpetrator exited the train and the station at speed and was whisked away by car, by a waiting cult accomplice.

The sarin, as well as spreading in the subway cars, also leaked onto the station platforms, quickly overcoming thousands. Those trying to help those dying from exposure to the nerve agent themselves also fell victim, as sarin is known to be the most volatile of all the nerve agents.

The group was also held responsible for an earlier sarin attack on June 27, 1994 in a parking lot near housing for judges in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, killing eight people. Endi