Death for Japan Cult Chemist (Reflection Paper)

The Case
Masami Tsuchiya, 39, became the 11th member of the Aum Shinrikyo cult that carried out the attack to be sentenced to death. He was accused of heading the cult's drive to develop chemical weapons including VX, mustard and sarin gases. Tsuchiya also produced sarin gas for a July 1994 attack on a residential area in the central Japanese city of Matsumoto which killed seven people and injured 144 others, presiding judge Satoru Hattori said.

The Issue
Nerve gas is a weapon of chemical warfare that affects the transmission of nerve impulses through the nervous system. The organophosphorus nerve agents Tabun, Sarin, and Soman developed in Germany during WWII. A single droplet of VX or Sarin, if inhaled or in contact with the skin, can be absorbed into the bloodstream and paralyze the nervous system, leading to respiratory failure and immediate death. This was used in the March 1995 attack, which killed 12 people and left 5,000 people injured on Tokyo subways backed up by Aum Shinrikyo. So, the usage of nerve gas alone is already a serious offense. Even if it was developed during WWII in Germany, it was never used because it is lethal. On the Code of Ethics Board of Chemistry, the act violates several sections that includes sections 3, 4, 5, 16. The violation to section 3 was shown when he led the Aum Shinrikyo on the 1995 Tokyo subways attack by using a chemical weapon Nerve Gas. With him as a follower of the Cult, he has also violated section 4. Upon also doing the attack, he has engaged himself to bring dishonour and damage the dignity of the chemistry profession. He had led the murder that had taken place on the subways. Section 16 of the Code of Ethics was also violated. Tsuchiya himself was the chemist who had led the murder of many innocent lives and 5000 injured. He himself was the criminal, and at the same time chemist. Surely, he has also gained help from some fellow chemist and instead that they surrender to authorities, Tsuchiya seems to have added up a rank of chemist that would be agents of crimes, which is exactly the opposite of this section.

Murder has never been so good, it is always an outlaw. After seeing the violations on the Code of Ethics, lets now see how the By-laws of the Board of Chemistry approaches this issue. The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction is an international treaty that bans the use of chemical weapons and also prohibits all development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, or transfer of such weapons. Nerve Gas, or VX, is classified as a chemical weapon. Furthermore, Article I sec. 4 of the By-Laws set forth by the Board of Chemistry limits professional practice of chemistry to the performance of a service related to the public interest, public safety, legal or regulatory matters.

Reflection
Thus, Nerve Gas has never been legal since its development. It has always been banned Even any other chemical weapons. When we look at the situation of Syria being attacked by US due to the development of a chemical weapon, it is much clearer that chemical weapons are up to no good. The murder with the use of Nerve Gas on the subways of Tokyo, I suppose does not relate to public interest nor public safety, because it is lethal. Hence, the use of sarin is already a ground for imprisonment. All the trainings necessary to become a chemist, all the exams and requirements that needs to be satisfied, all of the studying hours, all are wasted because of malpractice of chemistry. Its really a waste having such a brilliant chemist led the Nerve Gas Attack on the Tokyo Subways that resulted to 12 innocent lives and 5000 injured. Tsuchiya was enrolled on a doctorate programme in chemistry at Tsukuba University when he became involved with Aum, according to Kyodo news agency. Its really a waste having such a brilliant chemist as Masami Tsuchiya, involve in such a nerve gas attack. For such a waste of a brilliant mind, Tsuchiya is guilty of the crime he has committed as per cited violations he has made, which would sentence him a death penalty.