| Kenichi Hirose | |
| Native Name: | 広瀬 健一 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Birth Date: | 12 June 1964 |
| Birth Place: | Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Death Place: | Tokyo Detention House, Katsushika, Tokyo, Japan |
| Death Cause: | Execution by hanging |
| Known For: | Tokyo subway sarin attack |
| Conviction: | Mass murder Terrorism |
| Criminal Penalty: | Death |
| Criminal Status: | Executed |
was a member of the Japanese doomsday-cult group Aum Shinrikyo[1] who was convicted and executed for murder during the Tokyo subway sarin attack.
Born in 1964, Hirose was an outstanding student in his early years. In 1983, Hirose was admitted by Waseda University and chose applied physics as his major. In 1987, Hirose graduated from Waseda University as the best student in his grade and entered the Graduate School of Waseda University with a research topic on high-temperature superconductivity. Working with his supervisor, he published a paper in July 1987. His supervisor said Hirose was a gifted scientist. At the same time, Hirose began to wonder if the knowledge he learned in the university could help the society.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
In 1988, Hirose read books written by Shoko Asahara by accident. He was attracted by Asahara and began to correspond with Asahara. Per Asahara's request, in 1989, after graduating from graduate school and getting his master's degree, Hirose declined a job offered by NEC and joined Aum Shinrikyo, becoming an important person in this group. In the early 1990s, he produced around 1,000 assault rifles based on the AK-74. It's reported that Hirose once went to Russia to test assault rifles produced by him.[7] [8] [9] [10]
In 1995, Hirose took part in the Tokyo subway sarin attack. He was assigned to release the sarin in the train A777 on Marunouchi Line.[6] Hirose was arrested in the same year. In 2000, he was sentenced to death. In 2006, his appeal was dismissed. On July 26, 2018, Hirose was executed by hanging in the Tokyo Detention House.[11] [12] [13]