Aum Shinrikyo trials come to an end

“The end of the trials, which took so long, is a fresh reminder of the horror of all the crimes committed by Aum,” Shizue Takahashi, the wife of a subway stationmaster who died in the attack, told reporters Friday. “Now the focus for the families of the victims and other people will shift to the executions.”

Of the 122 people on death row in Japan, more than 90 are appealing their sentences. Retrials are rarely granted, and filing an appeal does not protect one from the gallows. Four people were executed last year.