MITO, Japan, April 25 (Kyodo) - The city of Ryugasaki in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, announced Tuesday it has accepted the registrations of four children of Shoko Asahara, founder of the AUM Shinrikyo religious cult, and three former AUM followers.
''It is difficult to continue rejecting (the registrations) in a constitutional nation, simply based on anxious emotions of residents,'' said Mayor Takehisa Kushida at a press conference.
The city had been rejecting applications by the seven since July last year, when their move to the city was confirmed, on the grounds that accepting their registrations would compromise the ''welfare of the public.''
The mayor also revealed that the children and the former followers had asked the Ibaraki prefectural government to reconsider the city's decision to reject their registrations last November, but have since withdrawn their request.
Asahara, 46, whose real name is Chizuo Matsumoto, is currently on trial on 13 criminal charges, including the masterminding of the 1995 sarin nerve-gas attack on the Tokyo subway system that killed 12 people and injured thousands.
AUM renamed itself Aleph in January last year.
AP-NY-04-24-01 1129EDT
Copyright 2001 The Kyodo News Service.