Japan police arrest Life Space cult leader

TOKYO, FEB 22: Japanese police on Tuesday arrested a cult guru who believes he can cure illness by patting people on the head, signalling ...

TOKYO, FEB 22: Japanese police on Tuesday arrested a cult guru who believes he can cure illness by patting people on the head, signalling a tougher stance by Japan against religious cults.

Koji Takahashi, leader of a cult called Life Space’, was arrested with six followers in connection with the death of a 66-year-old sect follower whose mummified body was found in a hotel room last November.

His family claimed he was still alive and receiving treatment for a brain haemorrhage by getting pats on the head from Takahashi.

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Police, who later raided facilities belonging to the cult, found children crammed into an apartment, apparently kept away from school and fed only once a day.

Japanese authorities have been cracking down on cults recently amid fears that membership in fringe anti-social religious groups is rising. The Doomsday group accused of a fatal 1995 gas attack on the Tokyo subway system was placed under surveillance by the government on February 1 under the new law.

Police has since raided several branches of the Aum Shinri Kyo (supreme truth) cult despite a lawsuit filed by the group claiming the government was violating its freedoms.