Top court upholds life term for ex-Aum member

The Supreme Court has upheld lower court rulings sentencing a former member of the Aum Shinrikyo cult to life in prison for murder for his role as a driver in the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, court sources said Tuesday.

As demanded by the prosecutors, the Tokyo District Court in 2000 and the Tokyo High Court the following year sentenced Kiyotaka Tonozaki, 40, to a life term. Tonozaki appealed to the Supreme Court in 2002. The court's ruling was dated Monday.