Minoru Kariya, whose father was believed tortured to death by Aum Shinrikyo in 1995, asked ex-cult fugitive Makoto Hirata on Friday why his father had to die and whether the defendant is prepared to atone for the role he played in his death.
Kariya, sitting with the prosecutors, has attended most of the trial sessions under a new system that allows victims to question defendants first-hand. Friday's session marked the first time since the system was adopted in 2008 that a victim of Aum has quizzed one of the cultists.
Tokyo notary Kiyoshi Kariya, 68, died after being kidnapped by the cult and drugged with a fatal amount of anesthetic used to force him to divulge the whereabouts of his wealthy sister, who had fled the cult. His body was later incinerated and his ashes dumped into a nearby lake, cultists testified earlier.