Kiyohide Hayakawa


Kiyohide Hayakawa was one of the members of the Japanese doomsday-cult group Aum Shinrikyo. Hayakawa was born in Hyōgo Prefecture in 1949. Convicted for his participation in Sakamoto family murder and several other crimes, Hayakawa was executed at July 6, 2018 at Fukuoka Detention House.

Early life

Hayakawa was born in Hyōgo Prefecture in 1949. His father was a staff member of the National Japanese National Railways. In 1952, his family moved to Sakai, Osaka. Hayakawa earned his bachelor degree in Kobe University. Then he went to the Graduate School of Osaka Prefecture University. After graduation, he was hired by a giant general contractor.

Joining Aum Shinrikyo

In 1986, interested in Shoko Asahara's so-called superpower, Hayakawa contacted the Aum Shinsen no Kai, which then became Aum Shinrikyo. After a talk over phone with Asahara, Hayakawa was moved by his sincerity and decided to join the Aum Shinrikyo.
In following years, Hayakawa was believed to be involved in a series of crimes committed by Aum Shinrikyo, including killing a former member of Aum Shinrikyo called Shuji Taguchi and the Sakamoto family murder. In 1990, after the campaign for election of Aum Shinrikyo turned into a fiasco, this cult group decided to overthrow the government of Japan by force. To help Aum Shinrikyo's plan, Hayakawa went to Russia. To get access to the technical documents of military equipment, he presented some high-performance computers to Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Finally, he not only knew the synthesis method of LSD, but also succeeded to get the design drawing of a type of automatic rifle. He even helped Aum Shinrikyo purchase a Mil Mi-17 helicopter.
In 1995, shortly after Tokyo subway sarin attack, Hayakawa was arrested. He was sentenced to death in 2000. In 2009, his appeal was dismissed. Hayakawa was executed at July 6, 2018 at Fukuoka Detention House.