As the fifth anniversary of the fatal sarin attack in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, approaches, a father of one of the victims voiced his disbelief Thursday that Aum Shinrikyo still exists and is even regaining momentum after all the trouble it has caused.

Kazuyoshi Abe, whose 19-year-old son Yuta was one of seven people killed in the attack on June 27, 1994, told a press conference in Tokyo he is irritated by the snail's pace at which Aum Shinrikyo founder Shoko Asahara is being tried.

Lawyers of a victims' group have also criticized the Tokyo District Court, which is handling the case, for not disclosing Asahara's criminal trial session records for reference in a civil suit the victims' bereaved families have filed. The lawyers added that the deceased families merely want to clarify the incident in its entirety.