A lesbian battling to become Japan's first openly gay parliamentarian has lost out in her race for a seat in the Upper House, despite her party winning the election convincingly. Kanako Otsuji was backed by the main opposition Democratic Party, set for the first time to become the largest party in the Upper House. Otsuji says she hoped her campaign raised awareness of gay rights in a society where many homosexuals remain in the closet. "I really didn't hear any sort of critical voices when I was campaigning. I was welcomed warmly at my campaign stops," the 32-year-old told Japanese television. Supporters waited anxiously for results late into the night at Otsuji's campaign office, located in Shinjuku Ni-chome, an area with several hundred gay bars in Tokyo's west. Otsuji, who served as a local legislator in the western city of Osaka for four years until April, has said her decision to become a politician was inspired by the pain and isolation of the five years it took her to accept that she was a lesbian. She revealed her sexual orientation in 2005, when already a legislator in Osaka. In her autobiography, "Coming Out: A Journey to Find my True Self," she said: "I thought I could give courage to the most people by coming out." If elected, she vowed to promote a more diverse society and seek laws to prohibit discrimination, including against sexual minorities. In Osaka, she helped change laws to make it easier for same-sex couples to rent public housing. Japanese media have increased coverage of sexual minority issues, but social acceptance remains limited and gays are still often shown as comic relief. Ref: Reuters, Wikipedia (m)