# Tochigi 1st district

Tochigi 1st District (Japanese: 栃木県第1区, Hepburn: Tochigi-ken Dai-ichi ku) 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 proportianal 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 | Party | Years Served | Notes |
| Hajime Funada | Ind. | 1996-1997 | Initially 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. |
| Hajime Funada | LDP | 1997-2000 | Initially 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. |
| Hiroko Mizushima | DPJ | 2000-2003 | |
| Hajime Funada | LDP | 2003-2009 | |
| Hisashi Ishimori | DPJ | 2009-2012 | |
| Hajime Funada | LDP | 2012- | 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

2024 House of Representatives election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Hajime Funada* | 78,333 | 39.92 | 5.23 |
| | CDP | Itazu Yuka | 62,914 | 32.06 | 2.14 |
| | Ishin | Yuji Kashiwakara | 45,491 | 23.18 | 3.47 |
| | JCP | Hiroshi Aoki | 9,490 | 4.84 | 0.62 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 416,436 | | 18,378 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 48.50 | 3.92 |
| | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold |

### 2021

2021 House of Representatives election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Hajime Funada* | 102,870 | 46.15 | 5.28 |
| | CDP | Noriyoshi Watanabe | 66,700 | 29.92 | New |
| | Ishin | Yuji Kashiwakura | 43,935 | 19.71 | New |
| | JCP | Hiroshi Aoki | 9,393 | 4.22 | 3.60 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 434,814 | | 2,196 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 52.42 | 2.35 |
| | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold |

### 2017

2017 House of Representatives election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Hajime Funada* | 109,139 | 51.87 | 4.58 |
| | Kibō no Tō | Yuji Kashiwakura | 51,122 | 24.30 | New |
| | Independent | Noriyoshi Watanabe | 33,681 | 16.01 | New |
| | JCP | Hiroshi Aoki | 16,463 | 7.82 | 3.23 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 432,618 | | 11,617 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 50.07 | 1.79 |
| | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold |

### 2014

2014 House of Representatives election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Hajime Funada* | 110,030 | 56.45 | 9.82 |
| | Democratic | Yuji Kashiwakura$^†$ | 63,332 | 32.49 | 6.34 |
| | JCP | Setsuko Nomura | 21,543 | 11.05 | 6.47 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 421,001 | | 3,091 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 48.28 | 4.75 |
| | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold |

### 2012

2012 House of Representatives election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Hajime Funada | 100,133 | 46.63 | 5.33 |
| | Democratic | Hisashi Ishimori* | 56,143 | 26.15 | 27.84 |
| | Your | Daiju Araki | 50,771 | 23.64 | New |
| | JCP | Akio Tabe | 7,687 | 3.58 | 0.29 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 417,910 | | 4,348 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 53.03 | 13.43 |
| | LDP gain from Democratic | LDP gain from Democratic | LDP gain from Democratic | LDP gain from Democratic | LDP gain from Democratic |

### 2009

2009 House of Representatives election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Hisashi Ishimori | 145,702 | 53.99 | 13.45 |
| | LDP | Hajime Funada* | 111,455 | 41.30 | 14.13 |
| | JCP | Kazunori Koike | 8,883 | 3.29 | 0.71 |
| | Happiness Realization | Hiroyuki Kawachi | 3,386 | 1.42 | New |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 413,562 | | 10,290 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 66.46 | 1.88 |
| | Democratic gain from LDP | Democratic gain from LDP | Democratic gain from LDP | Democratic gain from LDP | Democratic gain from LDP |

### 2005

2005 House of Representatives election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Hajime Funada* | 141,868 | 55.43 | 2.36 |
| | Democratic | Hiroko Mizushima$^†$ | 103,757 | 40.54 | 3.42 |
| | JCP | Setsuko Nomura | 10,301 | 4.03 | 1.06 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 403,272 | | 6,376 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 64.58 | 4.85 |
| | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold | LDP hold |

### 2003

2003 House of Representatives election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | LDP | Hajime Funada* | 123,297 | 53.07 | 12.33 |
| | Democratic | Hiroko Mizushima$^‡$ | 102,127 | 43.96 | 4.01 |
| | JCP | Akio Tabe | 6,904 | 2.97 | 1.68 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 396,896 | | 10,911 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 59.73 | 0.03 |
| | LDP gain from Democratic | LDP gain from Democratic | LDP gain from Democratic | LDP gain from Democratic | LDP gain from Democratic |

### 2000

2000 House of Representatives election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Hiroko Mizushima | 107,634 | 47.97 | New |
| | LDP | Hajime Funada* | 91,411 | 40.74 | New |
| | Social Democratic | Ryuji Yagi | 10,584 | 4.72 | New |
| | JCP | Setsuko Nomura | 10,422 | 4.65 | 1.39 |
| | Liberal League | Hirotsugu Nishi | 4,319 | 1.92 | 0.24 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 385,985 | | 15,429 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 59.70 | 5.68 |
| | Democratic gain from LDP | Democratic gain from LDP | Democratic gain from LDP | Democratic gain from LDP | Democratic gain from LDP |

### 1996

1996 House of Representatives election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Hajime Funada | 127,503 | 63.36 |
| | Democratic | Susumu Yanase | 57,420 | 28.44 |
| | JCP | Tomoji Taki | 12,154 | 6.04 |
| | Liberal League | Hiroshi Nishi | 4,345 | 2.16 |
| Registered electors | Registered electors | Registered electors | 370,556 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 65.38 |
| | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) | Independent win (new seat) |