Japan's First Lady Rides In Pride Parade

Japan's First Lady rode on a float during Tokyo's gay pride parade yesterday.

The 51-year-old wife of conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe donned a white suit to stand on a float with a drag queen, as some 3,000 participants marched through the trendy Shibuya business and shopping district. Mrs Akie Abe, known for her liberal inclinations, wrote on her Facebook page later that she has been involved in the issue since joining a commission set up by UNAIDS and the Lancet medical journal last year. "I want to help build a society where anyone can conduct happy, enriched lives without facing discrimination," she wrote.

The parade included a marching band which performed We Shall Overcome.