Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
Born in Hamamatsu, Sawai studied German at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies. Graduating in 1961, he joined the Toei Company as an assistant director and worked under such directors as Masahiro Makino and Noribumi Suzuki. He also collaborated on scripts such as those for the 'Truck Yarō' series. He made his debut as a director in 1981 with "Nogiku no haka", a vehicle for the idol singer Seiko Matsuda.