Tochigi 1st district

Tochigi 1st District
栃木県第1区
Constituency for the Japanese House of Representatives
Prefecture	Tochigi
Proportional District	Northern Kanto
Electorate	417,774 (as of September 1, 2023)[1]
Current constituency
Created	1994
Seats	One
Party	LDP
Representative	Hajime Funada
Municipalities	Utsunomiya (excluding the former towns of Kamikawachi and Kawachi), Kawachi 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.

As of 22 December 2024, The areas included in this district are as follows:^[2][3]

• 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

From the first redistricting in 2013 until the second redistricting in 2022, the areas covered by this district were as follows:^[4][5]

• 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

From the founding of the district in 1994 to the first redistricting in 2013, the areas covered by this district were as follows:^[6]

• Utsunomiya
• Kawachi

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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, havving 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 occured 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 wouldnt 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.

(*) - 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 House of Representatives election^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Hajime Funada*[n 1]	78,333	39.92	5.23
	CDP	Itazu Yuka[n 2]	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			416,436		18,378
Turnout				48.50	3.92
	LDP hold

2021 House of Representatives election^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Hajime Funada*[n 1]	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			434,814		2,196
Turnout				52.42	2.35
	LDP hold

2017 House of Representatives election^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Hajime Funada*[n 1]	109,139	51.87	4.58
	Kibō no Tō	Yuji Kashiwakura	51,122	24.30	New
	Independent	Noriyoshi Watanabe[n 3]	33,681	16.01	New
	JCP	Hiroshi Aoki	16,463	7.82	3.23
Registered electors			432,618		11,617
Turnout				50.07	1.79
	LDP hold

2014 House of Representatives election^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Hajime Funada*[n 1]	110,030	56.45	9.82
	Democratic	Yuji Kashiwakura†[n 4]	63,332	32.49	6.34
	JCP	Setsuko Nomura	21,543	11.05	6.47
Registered electors			421,001		3,091
Turnout				48.28	4.75
	LDP hold

2012 House of Representatives election^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Hajime Funada[n 1]	100,133	46.63	5.33
	Democratic	Hisashi Ishimori*[n 5]	56,143	26.15	27.84
	Your	Daiju Araki[n 6]	50,771	23.64	New
	JCP	Akio Tabe	7,687	3.58	0.29
Registered electors			417,910		4,348
Turnout				53.03	13.43
	LDP gain from Democratic

2009 House of Representatives election^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Hisashi Ishimori[n 5]	145,702	53.99	13.45
	LDP	Hajime Funada*[n 1]	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			413,562		10,290
Turnout				66.46	1.88
	Democratic gain from LDP

2005 House of Representatives election^[13]

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			403,272		6,376
Turnout				64.58	4.85
	LDP hold

2003 House of Representatives election^[14]

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			396,896		10,911
Turnout				59.73	0.03
	LDP gain from Democratic

2000 House of Representatives election^[15]

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			385,985		15,429
Turnout				59.70	5.68
	Democratic gain from LDP