Ichiro Murakami

Ichiro Murakami, 54, who heads Token Tomonokai, a sword club, and 10 others were arrested Dec. 19 and 21 for their alleged involvement in incidents in which shots were fired at facilities linked to North Korean residents in Japan, Aum Shinrikyo and other groups.

Police have found that Murakami fired shots at Aum facilities in Tokyo and Osaka. Murakami was quoted as telling investigators that he fired shots in January at the Nagoya branch of Chogin Chubu Credit Union, which mainly serves the North Korean community here.

Murakami was arrested with four members of the sword group, including Tatsuya Hattori, 40, and Takahiro Azabu, 38.

The officials said police believe Hattori, a board director of the group, fired shots in June at a teachers union office in Hiroshima Prefecture while Azabu, a personal secretary of Murakami, fired shots in July at the Niigata chapter of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryun), a pro-Pyongyang group.

The Japan Times Weekly: Jan. 3, 2004
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