TOKYO - Rui Takahashi, a volleyball player for the Suntory Sunbirds Osaka in Japan's top-tier SV.League, revealed his homosexuality on social media on Tuesday, becoming one of the few openly gay athletes in the country.

Takahashi said on Instagram that he had agonized since youth over his sexual identity, but gradually came to terms with it after conversations with his younger brother Ran, 25, a volleyball star who plays for Japan's national team.