Abstract
A new stratum of religious affiliation emerged in Japan from the first half of the nineteenth century onward and quite a large number of movements were formed as a result of social, cultural, economic and political changes in Japan. The trend of New Religious Movements (NRMs) has also been formed by various controversies as there is a high level of diversity in this field. Some of these are famous in populace because of their tangible benefits (as claimed by them) to the society and others are, at same time, notorious as a result of their activities harming the society at large scale. Aum Shinrikyo is one of the later. The violence of Aum Shinrikyo has had various noticeable consequences for NRMs in Japan such as a growing scepticism by the media and scholars towards NRMs, as well as among community groups and the public in general, a change in stance taken by the government of Japan towards NRMs, more strict laws and regulations and tighter enforcement of those laws regarding NRMs. This paper aims to examine that how the crimes of Aum Shinrikyo have created a shift in Japanese religiosity as well as Japanese mindset towards NRMs.