Akira Sawaki was just another high school student when he joined Aum Shinrikyo in the winter of 1991, believing the world was full of corruption and wanting to be the one to change it.
Aum had things he was looking for in a world of uncertainty; a clear view of the future and a sense that he could save the world, said Sawaki, a name he uses on the Internet.
The cult busied him with a tight schedule, fed him little and prohibited him from reading newspapers and watching television because they often told ill of Aum, he said.