# Tochigi at-large district

Tochigi At-Large District (栃木県選挙区, Tochigi-ken Senkyoku) is a multi-member district of the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan (national legislature). It consists of Tochigi Prefecture and elects two Councillors, one per election.
Between 1947 and 2007 Tochigi was represented by four councillors, elected two at a time by single non-transferable vote. Like many two-member districts Tochigi often split seats between the two major postwar parties: the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Socialist Party (JSP). In the 1965 election, left-wing Socialist incumbent Takeshi Tokano finished only third behind two LDP candidates while another Socialist candidate, Takashi Hagiwara, received almost as many votes as Tokano. In 1968, the LDP could repeat this success against incumbent Socialist Seiichi Inaba who finished only fourth behind Tokano, this time running as an independent. In the following election of 1971 Tokano returned as a Socialist candidate to his seat with the highest vote; and Seiichi Inaba became a Socialist Member of the House of Representatives where he was a member of the sp cial committee investigating the Lockheed scandal.
In the election of 1974, two independents, one DSP and one Kōmeitō candidate joined the traditional field of LDP, JSP and JCP candidates. Turnout jumped to 74% and independent Takaji Ōshima beat out LDP incumbent Yano for second place, but subsequently joined the LDP himself. Six years later, the leftist vote was still split among one Socialist, one Democratic Socialist and one Communist while there were only two LDP candidates on the conservative side: Once again, the party gained two Tochigi seats in one election. They held onto those seats until the 1990s when the declining JSP collapsed during the party's participation in a LDP government and was ultimately replaced by the Democratic Party of Japan as the largest opposition party.

## Current Councillors

Since the 2010 House of Councillors election, the district has been represented in the House of Councillors by 2 Councillors, with one Councillor being up for election every 3 years
As of 23 January 2023, the Councillors currently representing this district are as follows:
* Katsunori Takahashi (LDP) - Class of 2019
* Michiko Ueno (LDP) - Class of 2022
Since the 2013 House of Councillors election, the district has only been represented by members of the Liberal Democratic Party.

## Elected Councillors

| class of 1947 | class of 1947 | election year | class of 1950 | class of 1950 |
| #1 (1947: #1, 6-year term) | #2 (1947: #2, 6-year term) | election year | #1 (1947: #3, 3-year term) | #2 (1947: #4, 3-year term) |
| Sadakichi Ōshima (DP) | Shōzaburō Iwasaki (JSP) | 1947 | Risuke Tonooka (DP) | Haruhiko Uetake (Indep.) |
| Sadakichi Ōshima (DP) | Shōzaburō Iwasaki (JSP) | 1947 by-el. | Kikuji Okada (DP) | Haruhiko Uetake (Indep.) |
| Sadakichi Ōshima (DP) | Shōzaburō Iwasaki (JSP) | 1950 | Sukeji Sōma (JSP) | Haruhiko Uetake (LP) |
| Takeshi Tokano (JSP, left) | Seiichirō Satō (Yoshida LP) | 1953 | Sukeji Sōma (JSP) | Haruhiko Uetake (LP) |
| Takeshi Tokano (JSP, left) | Seiichirō Satō (Yoshida LP) | 1956 | Sukeji Sōma (JSP) | Haruhiko Uetake (LDP) |
| Takeshi Tokano (JSP) | Michio Yuzawa (LDP) | 1959 | Sukeji Sōma (JSP) | Haruhiko Uetake (LDP) |
| Takeshi Tokano (JSP) | Michio Yuzawa (LDP) | 1962 | Haruhiko Uetake (LDP) | Seiichi Inaba (JSP) |
| Takeshi Tokano (JSP) | Tokuya Tsuboyama (LDP) | 1963 by-el. | Haruhiko Uetake (LDP) | Seiichi Inaba (JSP) |
| Yuzuru Funada (LDP) | Kensaku Tamura (LDP) | 1965 | Haruhiko Uetake (LDP) | Seiichi Inaba (JSP) |
| Yuzuru Funada (LDP) | Kensaku Tamura (LDP) | 1968 | Haruhiko Uetake (LDP) | Noboru Yano (LDP) |
| Takeshi Tokano (JSP) | Yuzuru Funada (LDP) | 1971 | Haruhiko Uetake (LDP) | Noboru Yano (LDP) |
| Takeshi Tokano (JSP) | Yuzuru Funada (LDP) | 1974 | Takashi Ōtsuka (JSP) | Tomoji Ōshima (Indep.) |
| Takeshi Tokano (JSP) | Noboru Yano (LDP) | 1974 by-el. | Takashi Ōtsuka (JSP) | Tomoji Ōshima (Indep.) |
| Junzō Iwasaki (LDP) | Takeshi Tokano (JSP) | 1977 | Takashi Ōtsuka (JSP) | Tomoji Ōshima (Indep.) |
| Junzō Iwasaki (LDP) | Takeshi Tokano (JSP) | 1980 | Mayumi Moriyama (LDP) | Tomoji Ōshima (LDP) |
| Junzō Iwasaki (LDP) | Yūbun Ueno (JSP) | 1983 by-el. | Mayumi Moriyama (LDP) | Tomoji Ōshima (LDP) |
| Yūbun Ueno (JSP) | Junzō Iwasaki (LDP) | 1983 | Mayumi Moriyama (LDP) | Tomoji Ōshima (LDP) |
| Yūbun Ueno (JSP) | Junzō Iwasaki (LDP) | 1986 | Mayumi Moriyama (LDP) | Tomoji Ōshima (LDP) |
| Yūbun Ueno (JSP) | Junzō Iwasaki (LDP) | 1989 | Mayumi Moriyama (LDP) | Tomoji Ōshima (LDP) |
| Yūbun Ueno (JSP) | Junzō Iwasaki (LDP) | 1992 | Mayumi Moriyama (LDP) | Tetsurō Yano (LDP) |
| Junzō Iwasaki (LDP) | Masayuki Kunii (DRP) | 1995 | Mayumi Moriyama (LDP) | Tetsurō Yano (LDP) |
| Junzō Iwasaki (LDP) | Masayuki Kunii (DRP) | 1996 by-el. | Itten Kamiyoshihara (LDP) | Tetsurō Yano (LDP) |
| Junzō Iwasaki (LDP) | Masayuki Kunii (DRP) | 1998 | Susumu Yanase (DPJ) | Tetsurō Yano (LDP) |
| Masayuki Kunii (LDP) | Hiroyuki Tani (DPJ) | 2001 | Susumu Yanase (DPJ) | Tetsurō Yano (LDP) |
| Masayuki Kunii (LDP) | Hiroyuki Tani (DPJ) | 2004 | Susumu Yanase (DPJ) | Tetsurō Yano (LDP) |
| Hiroyuki Tani (DPJ) | – | 2007 | Susumu Yanase (DPJ) | Tetsurō Yano (LDP) |
| Hiroyuki Tani (DPJ) | – | 2010 | Michiko Ueno (LDP) | – |
| Katsunori Takahashi (LDP) | – | 2013 | Michiko Ueno (LDP) | – |
| Katsunori Takahashi (LDP) | – | 2016 | Michiko Ueno (LDP) | – |
| Katsunori Takahashi (LDP) | – | 2019 | Michiko Ueno (LDP) | – |
| Katsunori Takahashi (LDP) | – | 2022 | Michiko Ueno (LDP) | – |

## Election Results
### Elections in the 2020s

2022 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democratic | Michiko Ueno (Incumbent) (Endorsed by Komeito) | 414,456 | 56.2 | 2.7 |
| | Constitutional Democratic | Kyo Itakura | 127,628 | 17.3 | New |
| | Ishin | Hiromi Okubo | 100,529 | 13.6 | New |
| | Communist | Keiko Okamura | 44,310 | 6.0 | New |
| | Sanseitō | Hirosato Okuma | 30,864 | 4.2 | New |
| | Anti-NHK | Masako Takahashi | 19,090 | 2.6 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,620,720 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 286,828 | 38.9 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 761,414 | 47.0 | 4.4 |
| | Liberal Democratic hold | Liberal Democratic hold | Swing | | |

### Elections in the 2010s

2019 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democratic | Katsunori Takahashi (Incumbent) (Endorsed by Komeito) | 373,099 | 53.5 | 5.4 |
| | Constitutional Democratic | Kato Chiho (Endorsed by the DPP, SDP and the JCP) | 285,681 | 41.0 | New |
| | Anti-NHK | Norimitsu Machida | 38,508 | 5.5 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,634,678 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 87,418 | 12.5 | 9.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 721,383 | 44.1 | 5.6 |
| | Liberal Democratic hold | Liberal Democratic hold | Swing | | |
2016 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democratic | Michiko Ueno (Incumbent) | 484,300 | 58.9 | 22.7 |
| | Independent | Takao Tanobe (Endorsed by the DPJ, JCP, SDP and the Liberal Party) | 314,401 | 38.3 | New |
| | Happiness Realization | Misaki Akemi | 23,262 | 2.8 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,653,308 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 169,899 | 20.6 | 20.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 849,470 | 51.4 | 5.2 |
| | Liberal Democratic hold | Liberal Democratic hold | Swing | | |
2013 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democratic | Katsunori Takahashi | 376,553 | 48.1 | 6.7 |
| | Your | Tomoki Oki | 201,895 | 25.8 | New |
| | Democratic | Hiroyuki Tani (Incumbent) | 158,577 | 20.3 | 33.6 |
| | Communist | Kazunori Koike | 41,351 | 5.3 | 0.6 |
| | Happiness Realization | Mitsuharu Suhiura | 4,371 | 0.6 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,625,367 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 174,658 | 22.3 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 807,645 | 49.7 | 7.0 |
| | Liberal Democratic gain from Democratic | Liberal Democratic gain from Democratic | Swing | | |
2010 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democratic | Michiko Ueno | 324,790 | 36.2 | 5.9 |
| | Democratic | Susumu Yanase (Incumbent) | 319,898 | 35.6 | 13.6 |
| | Your | Daiki Araki | 224,529 | 25.0 | New |
| | Communist | Kazunori Koike | 28,617 | 3.2 | 5.5 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,630,549 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 4,892 | 1.6 | New |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 922,728 | 56.6 | 5.6 |
| | Liberal Democratic gain from Democratic | Liberal Democratic gain from Democratic | Swing | | |
| | Liberal Democratic loss (seat eliminated) | Liberal Democratic loss (seat eliminated) | Liberal Democratic loss (seat eliminated) | Liberal Democratic loss (seat eliminated) | Liberal Democratic loss (seat eliminated) |

### Elections in the 2000s

2007 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Hiroyuki Tani (Incumbent) | 484,900 | 53.9 | 25.9 |
| | Liberal Democratic | Masayuki Kuni (Incumbent) | 372,930 | 41.4 | 2.8 |
| | Communist | Kazunori Koike | 42,335 | 4.7 | 0.8 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,624,325 | | |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 111,970 | 12.5 | 1.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 920,343 | 56.7 | 2.8 |
| | Democratic gain from Liberal Democratic | Democratic gain from Liberal Democratic | Swing | | |
| | Democratic loss (seat eliminated) | Democratic loss (seat eliminated) | Democratic loss (seat eliminated) | Democratic loss (seat eliminated) | Democratic loss (seat eliminated) |
2004 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Susumu Yanase (Incumbent) | 388,356 | 49.2 | 9.5 |
| | Liberal Democratic | Tetsuro Yano (Incumbent) | 332,513 | 42.1 | 17.4 |
| | Communist | Setsuko Nomura | 69,044 | 8.7 | 0.4 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 1,605,279 | | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 818,532 | 51.0 | Unknown |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | | |
| | Liberal Democratic hold | Liberal Democratic hold | Swing | | |
2001 :
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### Elections in the 1990s

1998 :
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1996 by-election :
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1995 :
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1992 :
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### Elections in the 1980s

1989 :
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1986 :
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1983 :
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1983 by-election :
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1980 :
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### Elections in the 1970s

1977 :
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1974 by-election :
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1974 :
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1971 :
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### Elections in the 1960s

1968 :
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1965 :
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1963 by-election :
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1962 :
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### Elections in the 1950s

1959 :
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1956 :
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1953 :
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1950 :
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### Elections in the 1940s

1947 :
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