Abstract
In June 1994, a terrorist group released Sarin gas in the residential area of Matsumoto in central Japan, killing 7 people and affecting about 600 residents and rescue personnel (Morita, Yanagisawa, & Nakajima, 1995). In March 1995, another Sarin attack occurred in the Tokyo subway system (Okumura, Takasu, & Ishimatsu, 1996). Both cases had deleterious effects on Japanese society. The perpetrator of the Matsumoto case was not identified until the Aum Shinrikyo cult leader, Shoko Asahara, and members of his entourage were arrested just after the Tokyo subway case and their clandestine Sarin factory was discovered on the premises of their rural cult compound. Japan’s courts are now trying both cases and the national media are giving them extensive coverage almost on a daily basis.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Asukai, N. (1998). Health effects following the Sarin attack in the Tokyo subway system. Paper presented in the 14th meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Washington DC.
Asukai, N., Kato, H., Kawamura, N., Kim, Y., Yamamoto, K., Kishimoto, J. et al. (2002). Reliability and validity of the Japanese-language version of the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R-J): Four studies on different traumatic events. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 190, 175–182.
Asukai, N., Miyake, Y., & Sawano, M. (1996). Psychological seaquelae among survivors of Tokyo metro Sarin attack (in Japanese). Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica, 98, 791–792.
DiGiovanni, C. (1999). Domestic terrorism with chemical or biological agents: Psychiatric aspects. American Journal of Psychiatry 156, 1500–1505.
Holstege, C. P., Kirk, M., & Sidell, F. R. (1997). Chemical warfare: Nerve agent poisoning. Medical Toxicology, 13, 923–942.
Horowitz, M., Wilner, N., & Alvarez, W. (1979). Impact of event scale: A measure of subjective stress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 41, 209–218.
Kadokura, M., Ogawa, Y., Shimizu, H., Ymamura, Y., Agata, T., & Ushijima, S. (2000). Post-traumatic stress disorder in victims of an attack with Sarin nerve gas on the Tokyo subway system (in Japanese). Japanese Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 29, 677–683.
Maekawa, K. (1997). Acute toxicological information of Sarin poisoning in Tokyo subway. Japanese Journal of Toxicology (in Japanese), 10, 38–41.
Morita, H., Yanagisawa, N., & Nakajima, T. (1995). Sarin poisoning in Matsumoto. Lancet 346, 290–293.
Murata, K., Araki, S., Yokoyama, K., Okumura, T., Ishimatsu, S., Takasu, N., et al. (1997). Asymptomatic sequlae to acute Sarin poisoning in the central and autonomic nervous system 6 months after the Tokyo subway attack. Journal of Neurology 244, 601–606.
Namba, T., Nolte C. T., Jackrel, J., & Grob, D. (1971). Poisoning due to organophosphate insecticides. American Journal of Medicine, 50, 475–492.
National Police Agency & National Research Institute of Police Science, Japan (1999). Report on victim’s damage after Tokyo metro Sarin attack. Published by author (in Japanese).
National Police Agency & National Research Institute of Police Science, Japan (2001). Report on victim’s damage after Tokyo metro Sarin attack. Published by author (in Japanese).
Nishiwaki, Y., Maekawa, K., Ogawa, Y., Asukai, N., Minami, M., Omae, K. et al. (2001). Effects of Sarin on the nervous system in rescue team staff members and police officers 3 years after the Tokyo subway Sarin attack. Environmental Health Perspectives, 109, 1169–1173.
Okumura, T., Takasu, N., & Ishimatsu, S. (1996). Report on 640 victims of the Tokyo subway Sarin attack. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 28, 29–35.
St. Luke’s International Hospital. (1995). Report on treatment of Sarin poisoning patients at St. Luke’s International Hospital (in Japanese). Japanese Medical Journal, 3706, 55–56.
St. Luke’s International Hospital. (1997). Report of a follow-up study: Two years after the Tokyo subway Sarin attack (in Japanese). Japanese Medical Journal, 3828, 42–48.
Shalev, A. Y., & Solomon, Z. (1996). The threat and fear of missile attack: Israelis in the Gulf War. In R. J. Ursano & A. E. Norwood (eds.), Emotional aftermath of the Persian Gulf War: Veterans, families, communities, and nations (pp. 143–160). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.
Sidell, F. R. (1991). Clinical considerations in nerve agent intoxication. In S. Somami (ed.), Chemical warfare agents (p. 173). San Diego: Academic Press.
Streenland, K. (1996). Chronic neurological effects of organophosphate pesticides. British Medical Journal, 312, 1312–1313.
Weisaeth, L. (1989). Torture of a Norwegen ship’s crew—The torture, stress reactions and psychiatric after-efffects. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 80, (Suppl. 355), 63–72.
Yamaguchi, T., & Yasuda, A. (2001). Ophthalmologic disturbances among victims of the Tokyo metro Sarin attack. In K. Maekawa (ed.), Kosei-Kagaku research report: A case-control study of somatic and psychiatric effects in chronic stage on victims of the Tokyo metro Sarin attack (in Japanese).: K. Maekawa, Tokyo.
Yokoyama, K., Araki, S., Murata, K., Nisikitani, M., Okumura, T., Ishimatsu, S. et al. (1998). Chronic neurobehavioral effects of Tokyo subway Sarin poisoning in relation to posttaumatic stress disorder. Archives of Environmental Health, 53, 249–256.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Asukai, N., Maekawa, K. (2002). Psychological and Physical Health Effects of the 1995 Sarin Attack in the Tokyo Subway System. In: Havenaar, J.M., Cwikel, J.G., Bromet, E.J. (eds) Toxic Turmoil. The Plenum Series on Stress and Coping. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0623-2_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-0623-2_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4613-5163-4
Online ISBN: 978-1-4615-0623-2
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive