Some Winners and Losers in the 2007 Upper House Election

Infected with HIV through tainted blood, Ryuhei Kawada: Won! :-)

Lesbian candidate, Kanako Otsuji: Lost. :-(

Hideki Tojo's grandaughter, Yuko Tojo: Lost! :-)

Finnish-born naturalized Japanese citizen, Marutei Tsurunen: Won! (reelection) :-)

Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori: Lost! :D

An indigenous Ainu woman candidate, Kaori Tahara: Lost. :-(

See below for some blurbs and links ...

Activist Kawada wins seat in upper house Ryuhei Kawada, an activist known for launching a lawsuit against the state and a pharmaceutical company over tainted blood products given to hemophiliacs like himself, won a seat in the House of Councillors in Sunday's election, final returns showed Monday. Kawada, 31, was infected with HIV, which causes AIDS, through a blood product approved by the health ministry and given to him during treatment when he was a child. ''Many individuals took action,'' Kawada said after his victory was projected. ''I would like to work on issues related to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.''

Tsurunen, Finnish-born naturalized Japanese, retains upper house seat Marutei Tsurunen, a Finnish-born naturalized Japanese citizen, retained his seat in Sunday's election for the upper chamber of parliament, final returns showed Monday. Tsurunen, 67, was seeking a second term in the House of Councillors as a candidate of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan in the nationwide proportional representation block. In 2002, Tsurunen was awarded an upper house seat following the resignation of a DPJ lawmaker as Tsurunen was the runner-up on the party's candidate list for the previous year's upper house election.

Granddaughter of Gen. Tojo loses in upper house election Yuko Tojo, a granddaughter of Gen. Hideki Tojo, Japan's wartime prime minister who was hanged after being convicted as a Class-A war criminal, lost in Sunday's House of Councillors election, final returns showed Monday.

Gay rights activist Otsuji fails to win Diet seat Kanako Otsuji, Japan's first openly gay political candidate backed by a major party, failed to win a House of Councillors seat in Sunday's election, according to the election results. Otsuji, 32, a lesbian fielded by the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, was placed on the DPJ's candidate list for the nationwide proportional representation section of the upper house. After her defeat was confirmed early Monday morning, Otsuji appeared at her election office in Tokyo.

Ex-Peruvian President Fujimori fails to win Diet seat in Japan Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, who filed his candidacy for Sunday's upper house election in Japan while under house arrest in Chile, has conceded defeat in the election. Ainu indigenous community candidate Tahara defeated in election Kaori Tahara, an indigenous Ainu woman candidate backed by local opposition New Party Daichi, was defeated in the House of Councillors election Sunday, election returns showed.