Thousands of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people paraded through Tokyo's Shibuya district on Sunday to express hope that Japan will further embrace gender equality and diversity.

The LGBT parade was the finale to the annual Tokyo Rainbow Pride festival, and this year's theme was "Change."

"I believed that nothing would change. But, little by little, things are starting to change," the event's flyers say, quoting an unnamed individual. "Let's achieve a future where everyone is respected as an individual, despite differences in sexuality."