# Niigata 2nd district

Niigata 2nd District (新潟県第2区, Niigata-ken dai-ni-ku) is an electoral district in the Japanese House of Representatives, the lower house of the National Diet. The district was established in 1994 as part of the general move from multi-member districts to single-member districts in the House of Representatives.
In the 2024 Japanese general election, incumbent candidate, former Economy Vice Minister Kenichi Hosoda was not endorsed by the LDP because of involvement in the 2023–2024 Japanese slush fund scandal and ran as an independent candidate.

## Areas covered
### Current district

As of 2 February 2023, the areas covered by this district are as follows:
* Niigata
** Minami
** Nishi
** Nishikan
* Sanjō
* Kamo
* Tsubame
* Nishikanbara District
* Minamikanbara District
As part of the 2022 redistricting, the wards of Niigata city would no longer be internally divided.

### Areas 2013–2022

From the first redistricting in 2013, until the second redistricting in 2022, the areas covered by this district were as follows:
* Niigata
** Parts of Minami (former villages of Ajikata, Tsukigata and Nakanokuchi)
*** Mikata and Tsukigata branch offices
** Parts of Nishi (former towns of Maki and Nishikawa)
*** Yotsugoya area
** Nishikan
* Nagaoka (former towns of Koshiji, Mishima, Yoita, Teradomari Oguni and the former village of Washima)
** Areas of Nishitsu that were formerly a part of Koshiji
* Kashiwazaki
* Tsubame
* Sado
* Nishikanbara District
* Santō District
* Kariwa District
As part of the 2013 redistricting, the district gained parts of Minami, Nishi and Nishikan wards from the 1st district and gained parts of the city of Nagaoka from the 5th district.

### Areas from before 2013

From the creation of the district in 1994 until the first redistricting in 2013, the areas covered by this district were as follows:
* Kashiwazaki
* Tsubame
* Ryōtsu
* Nishikanbara District
* Santo District
* Kariwa District
* Sado District
There was a small change in 2002 when the former town of Kurosaki in Nishinkanbara District was transferred to the 1st district, though the legal name of the town and county did not change.

## Elected representatives

| Representative | Party | Years served | Notes |
| Shin Sakurai | LDP | 1996 – 2000 | Failed to win re-election in the 2000 general election |
| Motohiko Kondo | Indep. | 2000 – 2003 | Joined the Liberal Democratic Party before the next election |
| Motohiko Kondo | LDP | 2003 – 2009 | Was re-elected in the 2005 general election, but failed to win re-election in the 2009 Japanese election |
| Eiichiro Washio | DPJ | 2009 – 2012 | Failed to win re-election. |
| Kenichi Hosoda | LDP | 2012 – 2017 | |
| Eiichiro Washio | Indep. | 2017 – 2021 | |
| Kenichi Hosoda | LDP | 2021 – 2024 | Failed to win re-election. |
| Makiko Kikuta | CDP | 2024 – | Moved from the 4th district |

## Election results

‡ - Also ran in the Hokuriku Shinetsu PR election
‡‡ - Also ran and won in the Hokuriku Shinetsu PR election

### Elections in the 2020s

2024 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | CDP | Makiko Kikuta | 123,334 | 56.19 | |
| | Independent | Kenichi Hosoda (endorsed by LDP Niigata chapter) | 67,124 | 30.58 | 29.32 |
| | Ishin | Motoyuki Inoue | 29,023 | 13.22 | |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 393,272 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | | |
| | CDP gain from Independent | CDP gain from Independent | Swing | | |
2021 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Kenichi Hosoda$^‡$ (incumbent - Hokuriku Shinetsu PR) (endorsed by Komeito) | 105,426 | 59.9 | 16.8 |
| | DPP | Sakae Takakura$^‡$ | 37,157 | 21.1 | New |
| | JCP | Taira Ayako$^‡$ (endorsed by the SDP) | 33,399 | 19.0 | 13.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 288,107 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 68,269 | 38.8 | 30.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 180,528 | 62.7 | 1.1 |
| | LDP gain from Independent | LDP gain from Independent | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2017 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Eiichiro Washio (incumbent - Hokuriku Shinetsu PR) | 97,808 | 51.6 | New |
| | LDP | Kenichi Hosoda$^‡$ (incumbent) (endorsed by Komeito) | 81,705 | 43.1 | 0.1 |
| | JCP | Takehiko Igarashi | 10,055 | 5.3 | 1.7 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 302,713 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 16,103 | 8.5 | 8.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 193,191 | 63.8 | 8.5 |
| | Independent gain from LDP | Independent gain from LDP | Swing | | |
2014 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Kenichi Hosoda$^‡$ (incumbent) (endorsed by Komeito) | 70,589 | 43.0 | 2.5 |
| | Democratic | Eiichiro Washio$^‡$ | 70,487 | 42.9 | 4.2 |
| | Social Democratic | Hideaki Watanabe$^‡$ | 11,801 | 7.2 | 2.9 |
| | JCP | Kazuo Goino | 11,434 | 7.0 | 1.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 304,858 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 102 | 0.1 | 6.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 168,495 | 55.3 | 4.9 |
| | LDP hold | LDP hold | Swing | | |
2012 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Kenichi Hosoda$^‡$ (endorsed by Komeito) | 81,537 | 45.5 | 8.5 |
| | Democratic | Eiichiro Washio$^{‡‡}$ (incumbent) (endorsed by the PNP) | 69,389 | 38.7 | 13.6 |
| | Social Democratic | Hideaki Watanabe$^‡$ | 18,169 | 10.1 | 0.4 |
| | JCP | Toshihiro Miyaji | 10,042 | 5.6 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 309,710 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,148 | 6.8 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 186,569 | 60.2 | 15.6 |
| | LDP gain from Democratic | LDP gain from Democratic | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2000s

2009 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Eiichiro Washio$^‡$ (incumbent - Hokuriku Shinetsu PR) | 122,686 | 52.3 | 8.0 |
| | LDP | Motohiko Kondo$^‡$ (incumbent) (endorsed by Komeito) | 86,960 | 37.0 | 12.7 |
| | Social Democratic | Noboru Yoneyama$^‡$ | 22,866 | 9.7 | New |
| | Happiness Realization | Satoshi Sugawara | 2,257 | 1.0 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 315,884 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 35,726 | 15.3 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 239,377 | 75.8 | 2.3 |
| | Democratic gain from LDP | Democratic gain from LDP | Swing | | |
2005 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Motohiko Kondo$^‡$ (incumbent) | 113,916 | 49.7 | 5.8 |
| | Democratic | Eiichiro Washio$^{‡‡}$ | 101,637 | 44.3 | 21.6 |
| | JCP | Yoshio Hosoi | 13,727 | 6.0 | 0.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 320,718 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 12,279 | 5.4 | 12.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 235,856 | 73.5 | 4.0 |
| | LDP hold | LDP hold | Swing | | |
2003 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Motohiko Kondo$^‡$ (incumbent) | 95,391 | 43.9 | 5.2 |
| | Independent | Masayuki Fujishima (incumbent - Kyushu PR) | 56,002 | 25.8 | New |
| | Democratic | Tomio Sakagami$^‡$ | 49,382 | 22.7 | New |
| | JCP | Yoko Yoneyama | 12,225 | 5.6 | 4.0 |
| | Independent | Ko Nishikawa | 4,132 | 1.9 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 321,636 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 39,389 | 18.1 | 8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 223,537 | 69.5 | 6.4 |
| | LDP gain from Independent | LDP gain from Independent | Swing | | |
2000 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent | Motohiko Kondo | 123,811 | 49.1 | 10.6 |
| | LDP | Arata Sakurai$^‡$ (incumbent) | 100,220 | 39.7 | 1.1 |
| | JCP | Fumihiko Murayama | 24,172 | 9.6 | 3.6 |
| | Independent | Isamu Kawahara | 4,009 | 1.6 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | Unknown | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 23,591 | 9.4 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | Unknown | 75.9 | 4.7 |
| | Independent gain from LDP | Independent gain from LDP | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 1990s

1996 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Arata Sakurai$^‡$ | 94,203 | 40.8 | New |
| | Independent | Motohiko Kondo | 89,044 | 38.5 | New |
| | Democratic | Ichizo Kobayashi | 17,335 | 7.5 | New |
| | JCP | Hiroshi Nozaki | 13,883 | 6.0 | New |
| | New Socialist | Toshio Inamura$^‡$ | 12,503 | 5.4 | New |
| | Independent | Ko Nishikawa | 4,093 | 1.8 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 339,397 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 5,159 | 2.3 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 241,481 | 71.2 | New |
| | LDP win (new seat) | LDP win (new seat) | LDP win (new seat) | LDP win (new seat) | LDP win (new seat) |