# Niigata 4th district

Niigata 4th District (新潟県第4区, Niigata-ken dai-yon-ku) is an electoral district of the Japanese House of Representatives, the lower house of the National Diet. The district is located in the Chūetsu region in central Niigata Prefecture and was created as part of the general move from multi-member districts to single-member districts in the House of Representatives.

## Areas covered
### Current district

As of 2 February 2023, the areas covered by this district are as follows:
* Nagaoka
* Kashiwazaki
* Ojiya
* Mitsuke
* Santō District
* Kariwa District
After the abolition of the 6th district, the districts boundaries changed significantly, it was moved to areas formerly covered by the 2nd and 5th districts.

### Areas 2013–2022

From the first redistricting in 2013 until the second redistricting in 2022, the areas covered by this district are as follows:
* Niigata
** Parts of Kita (former town of Yokogoshi: due to the small number of eligible voters, their votes were also counted in Kōnan ward)
*** Central government office (Kosugi, Junimae and Yokogoe areas)
** Parts of Higashi (former town of Kameda; however, there are no voters within)
*** Kameda Nakajima 4 within the Ishiyama branch office jurisdiction
** Parts of Chūō (former town of Kameda; however, there are no voters within)
** Parts of Kōnan (former towns of Yokogoshi and Kameda)
** Akiha
** Minami (former city limits of Shirone)
* Nagaoka (former city of Tochio and the former town of Nakanoshima
** Tochio branch jurisdiction
** Nakanoshima Branch jurisdiction (Oshikirigawara)
* Sanjō
* Kamo
* Mitsuke
* Minamikanbara District

### Areas from before 2013

From 1996 until the first redistricting in 2013, the areas covered by this district were as follows:
* Sanjo City
* Niitsu City
* Kamo City
* Mitsuke City
* Tochio City
* Shirane City
* Nakakanbara District
** Kosudo
** Yokogoshi
** Kameda
* Minamikabara District
In 2002, the redistricting did not change the borders of the district, but did change the official designation of Yokogoshi to recognise its official incorporation as a town in between the creation of the district and the redistricting.

## Elected representatives

| Representative | Party | Years served | Notes |
| Hirohisa Kurihara | LDP | 1996-2003 | Won re-election in the 2000 general election, but failed to win re-election in the 2003 general election |
| Makiko Kikuta | DPJ | 2003-2012 | won re-election in the 2005 and 2009 general elections, and was elected to the Hokuriku Shinetsu PR district in the 2012 general election |
| Megumi Kaneko | LDP | 2012-2017 | Failed to win re-election in the 2017 general election |
| Makiko Kikuta | Indep. | 2017 – 2020 | Joined the CDP in 2020 along with 149 other representatives |
| Makiko Kikuta | CDP | 2020 – 2024 | Moved to the 2nd district |
| Ryuichi Yoneyama | CDP | 2024 – | Moved from the 5th district |

## Election results

‡ - Also ran for a seat in the Hokuriku Shinetsu PR block
‡‡ - Also ran for and won in the Hokuriku Shinetsu PR block

### Elections in the 2020s

2024 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | CDP | Ryuichi Yoneyama$^‡$ | 93,764 | 44.9 | 5.2 |
| | LDP | Eiichiro Washio$^‡$ | 71,672 | 34.3 | 15.6 |
| | Independent | Hirohiko Izumida | 43,396 | 20.8 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 352,778 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 60.30 | 3.87 |
| | CDP hold | CDP hold | CDP hold | CDP hold |
2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | CDP | Makiko Kikuta$^‡$ (incumbent) (endorsed by the JCP and the SDP) | 97,494 | 50.1 | New |
| | LDP | Kunisada Hayato$^{‡‡}$ (endorsed by Komeito) | 97,256 | 49.9 | 6.2 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 307,471 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 238 | 0.2 | 12.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 197,304 | 64.2 | 0.1 |
| | CDP gain from Independent | CDP gain from Independent | CDP gain from Independent | CDP gain from Independent | CDP gain from Independent |

### Elections in the 2010s

2017 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Makiko Kikuta (incumbent - Hokuriku Shinetsu PR) (endorsed by the JCP, SDP and the Liberal Party) | 112,600 | 56.3 | New |
| | LDP | Megumi Kaneko$^‡$ (incumbent) (endorsed by Komeito) | 87,524 | 43.7 | 3.0 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 317,754 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 35,076 | 12.6 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 203,585 | 64.1 | 10.8 |
| | Independent gain from LDP | Independent gain from LDP | Independent gain from LDP | Independent gain from LDP | Independent gain from LDP |
2014 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Megumi Kaneko$^‡$ (incumbent) (endorsed by Komeito) | 77,137 | 46.7 | 4.1 |
| | Democratic | Makiko Kikuta$^{‡‡}$ (incumbent - Hokuriku Shinetsu PR) | 74,073 | 44.9 | 8.3 |
| | JCP | Hiroshi Nishizawa | 13,957 | 8.5 | 3.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 316,172 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 3,067 | 1.9 | 5.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 168,488 | 53.3 | 7.5 |
| | LDP hold | LDP hold | Swing | 5.4 | |
2012 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Megumi Kaneko$^‡$ (endorsed by Komeito) | 80,514 | 42.6 | 6.7 |
| | Democratic | Makiko Kikuta$^{‡‡}$ (incumbent) (endorsed by the PNP) | 66,457 | 35.2 | 27.3 |
| | Restoration | Hirohisa Kurihara$^‡$ | 32,181 | 17.0 | New |
| | JCP | Hiroshi Nishizawa | 9,908 | 5.2 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 318,807 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 14,057 | 7.4 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 193,771 | 60.8 | 12.5 |
| | LDP gain from Democratic | LDP gain from Democratic | Swing | 6.1 | |

### Elections in the 2000s

2009 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Makiko Kikuta$^‡$ (incumbent) | 144,230 | 62.5 | 12.0 |
| | LDP | Hiroshi Kurihara$^‡$ | 82,826 | 35.9 | 5.4 |
| | Happiness Realization | Tsuyoshi Sekiya | 3,660 | 1.6 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 321,921 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 61,404 | 26.6 | 17.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 235,936 | 73.3 | 1.3 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | 7.5 | |
2005 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Makiko Kikuta$^‡$ (incumbent) | 114,843 | 50.5 | 3.0 |
| | LDP | Hiroshi Kurihara$^‡$ | 93,971 | 41.3 | 1.7 |
| | JCP | Motomi Mutou | 18,503 | 8.1 | 1.1 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 322,023 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 20,872 | 9.2 | 4.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 231,889 | 72.0 | 4.5 |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | 15.0 | |
2003 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Makiko Kikuta$^‡$ | 113,721 | 53.5 | 27.0 |
| | LDP | Hirohisa Kurihara$^‡$ (incumbent) | 83,880 | 39.6 | 6.4 |
| | JCP | Motomi Mutou | 14,776 | 7.0 | 1.3 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 321,244 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 29,391 | 13.9 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 216,904 | 67.5 | 2.7 |
| | Democratic gain from LDP | Democratic gain from LDP | Swing | 13.5 | |
2000 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Hirohisa Kurihara$^‡$ (incumbent) | 72,604 | 33.2 | 8.4 |
| | Liberal | Makiko Kikuta$^‡$ | 69,910 | 32.0 | New |
| | Democratic | Tomio Sakagami$^‡$ (incumbent - Hokuriku Shinetsu PR) | 58,008 | 26.5 | New |
| | JCP | Motomi Mutou | 18,069 | 8.3 | 0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 2,694 | 1.2 | 9.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 70.2 | 1.5 |
| | LDP hold | LDP hold | Swing | 4.2 | |

### Elections in the 1990s

1996 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Hiroshi Kurihara$^‡$ | 85,743 | 41.6 | New |
| | Independent | Hideo Watanabe | 62,823 | 30.5 | New |
| | Democratic | Tomio Sakagami$^{‡‡}$ | 42,144 | 20.5 | New |
| | JCP | Norihiko Watanabe | 15,408 | 7.5 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 310,721 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 22,920 | 11.1 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 213,434 | 68.7 | New |
| | LDP win (new seat) | LDP win (new seat) | LDP win (new seat) | LDP win (new seat) | LDP win (new seat) |