Tochigi 1st district

is a district of the Japanese House of Representatives located within Tochigi Prefecture. The district was created as part of the 1994 Japanese electoral reforms, replacing the multi-member districts with single-member districts and introducing proportional representation blocks.

 Area 

 Current district 
As of 22 December 2024, The areas included in this district are as follows:

 Parts of Utsunomiya
 Headquarters jurisdiction
 The villages of Hiraishi, Kiyohara, Yokokawa, Mizuhono, Shiroyama, Kunimoto, Tomiya, Toyosato, Shinoi and Sugatagawa.
 The town of Suzumenomiya
 The neighbourhoods of Takagi and Yonan
 Kawachi District

 Areas from 2013 to 2022 
From the first redistricting in 2013 until the second redistricting in 2022, the areas covered by this district were as follows:

 Parts of Utsunomiya
 Headquarters jurisdiction
 The villages of Hiraishi, Kiyohara, Yokokawa, Mizuhono, Shiroyama, Kunimoto, Tomiya, Toyosato, Shinoi, and Sugatagawa
 The town of Suzumenomiya
 The neighbourhoods of Takagi and Yonan
 Shimotsuke
 Kawachi District

 Areas from before 2013 
From the founding of the district in 1994 to the first redistricting in 2013, the areas covered by this district were as follows:

 Utsunomiya
 Kawachi 

 History 

This district is an urban one centered around Tochigi's prefectural capital of Utsunomiya, formed from parts of the older multi-member 1st District following the 1994 electoral reforms. The district is known as a Conservative Kingdom, with 3 generations of the Funada family, who have always served as president of the local Sakushin Gakuin University, having been elected either in this district or in the previous larger district.

There have been only 2 times where a member of the Funada party has lost the election. The first occurred in the year 2000, when incumbent candidate Hajime Funada lost to Democtratic Party newcomer Hiroko Mizushima by about 16,000 votes. Funada was able to retake the seat in 2003 and hold it again in 2005, thanks in part to the popularity of Junichiro Koizumi's government. However, in 2009 he lost again, this time to newcomer Hisashi Ishimori of the Democratic Party.

Ishimori would not be able to hold this seat in the next election however, suffering a crushing defeat to Funada after losing 90,000 votes over the previous election. Following this election, Funada has won every election and is still the incumbent.

 Elected representatives 
+Representative     PartyYears servedNotesHajime FunadaInd. 1996-1997Initially a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, he left that party to help found the New Frontier Party,following his decision to support a no-confidence motion in the LDP government. He then left the New Frontier Party in September 1996, standing in that years election as an independent. In January of 1997, Funada rejoined the
Liberal Democratic Party, four years after he initially left it.LDP1997-2000Hiroko 
MizushimaDPJ2000-2003Hajime FunadaLDP2003-2009Hisashi IshimoriDPJ2009-2012Hajime FunadaLDP2012-Incumbent

 Election results 
(*) - indicates an incumbent representative of the district

(†) - indicates an incumbent of the Northern Kanto proportional district

(‡) - indicates a candidate was elected to the Northern Kanto proportional district

 2024 

 2021 

 2017 

 2014 

 2012 

 2009 

 2005 

 2003 

 2000 

 1996 

 Notes 

 References 

Category:House of Representatives (Japan) districts in Tochigi Prefecture
Category:Constituencies established in 1994
Category:1994 establishments in Japan
Category:Utsunomiya