"According to a June 2005 report by the National Police Agency, Aleph had approximately 1650 members, of whom 650 lived communally in compounds. The group operated 26 facilities in 17 prefectures, and about 120 residential facilities. An article in the Mainichi Shimbun newspaper on 11 September 2002 showed that the Japanese public still distrusts Aleph, and compounds throughout Japan are usually surrounded by protest banners from local residents demanding they leave."
On 8 March 2007 Fumihiro Joyu, former Aum Shinrikyo spokesman and head of Aum's Moscow operation, formally announced a long-expected split. Joyu's group, called Hikari no Wa (The Circle of Light) claims to be committed to uniting science and religion, thus creating the new 'science of the human mind', having previously aimed to move the group away from its violent history and toward its spiritual roots.
In April 2011 the Public Security Intelligence Agency stated that Aum currently had about 1,500 members. At the end of July 2011 the cult reported its membership as 1,030. The group was reportedly active in trying to recruit new members among Japan's youth via social media websites and proselytizing on college campuses.