(Japan) - The first openly gay candidate in Japanese national politics failed to win a seat in upper house elections on Monday, but vowed to continue her fight for minority rights. Kanako Otsuji, 32, backed by the main opposition Democratic Party, had campaigned in front of rainbow-coloured flags, with loudspeakers declaring to passers-by she was a lesbian. "I hope to continue until I see the day that we look back and say, 'This is a historic day in the history of sexual minorities,'" Otsuji told supporters. "We will remember this day because it is the day we grew stronger." She appeared to be holding back tears at her election headquarters in the heart of Tokyo's gay community early on Monday morning. Supporters wept as she walked around thanking them in her cramped headquarters after they had waited until dawn for the final results.
