The Aum Shinrikyo gas attacks were a series of attacks using sarin gas on the Tokyo subway in 1995, killing a dozen people and injuring many more. Worse yet, the incident incited panic in the Japanese population, who were highly dependent upon use of the country's extremely high density public transit systems, which they now saw to be easy targets. In response, the Japanese government took several steps. First, it rules to revoke Aum's protection as a religious organization, undercutting its financial stability and removing its means to operate. It additionally arrested many Aum leaders. Finally, it invoked the "Anti-Subversive Activities Law" to give authorities special powers to take action against the group.
