Survey: 26% of Tokyo sarin attack survivors still show PTSD symptoms
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A survey shows that about 26 percent of survivors of the Tokyo subway sarin gas attack nearly 31 years ago are still suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
The attack by the Aum Shinrikyo cult on Tokyo’s subway system on March 20, 1995, left 14 people dead and about 6,300 injured.
A group supporting the victims and their families worked with experts to conduct the survey in November and December last year. The group sent the survey to 1,058 people, including survivors and family members, and received responses from 323.
Results from a psychological test in the survey show that 26.1 percent of the survivors continue to have symptoms believed to be PTSD. Some respondents wrote that they still cannot ride the subway alone.
The survey also found continuing physical symptoms, with more than 70 percent reporting eyestrain and other eye problems.
The survey found no improvement in the victims’ mental and physical conditions since the results of a previous survey released in 2015.
When asked how they feel about the incident today, more than 70 percent of the survivors said they want to prevent it from being forgotten. More than 70 percent also said they want the groups that have succeeded Aum to be disbanded. About 40 percent said they did not feel any relief after the executions of the cult’s leaders.
When asked what they want regarding the incident and support for victims, the largest share of respondents, or about 40 percent, said they want continued media coverage.
Editorial note: An earlier version of this story included information which had different figures from the ones cited in this report. We apologize for any confusion.
Content retrieved from: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20260310_14/.
