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.

Niigata 4th District
新潟県第4区
Parliamentary constituency for the Japanese House of Representatives
Prefecture	Niigata
Proportional Block	Hokuriku Shinetsu
Electorate	362,100 (as of 1 September 2022)[1]
Current constituency
Created	1994
Seats	One
Party	CDP
Representative	Ryuichi Yoneyama

Areas covered

Current district

As of 2 February 2023, the areas covered by this district are as follows:^[2]

• 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.^[2]

Areas 2013–2022

From the first redistricting in 2013 until the second redistricting in 2022, the areas covered by this district are as follows:^[3][4]

• 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:^[5]

• 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.^[6]

History

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[7]
		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 rand for and won in the Hokuriku Shinetsu PR block

Elections in the 2020s

2024

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Constitutional Democratic	Ryuichi Yoneyama
	Independent	Hirohiko Izumida
	Liberal Democratic	Eiichiro Washio
Registered electors
Turnout

2021^[8]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Constitutional Democratic	Makiko Kikuta‡ (incumbent) (endorsed by the JCP and the SDP)	97,494	50.1	New
	Liberal Democratic	Kunisada Hayato‡‡ (endorsed by Komeito)	97,256	49.9	6.2
Registered electors			307,471
Majority			238	0.2	12.4
Turnout			197,304	64.2	0.1
	Constitutional Democratic gain from Independent		Swing	New

Elections in the 2010s

2017^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Makiko Kikuta (incumbent - Hokuriku Shinetsu PR) (endorsed by the JCP, SDP and the Liberal Party)	112,600	56.3	New
	Liberal Democratic	Megumi Kaneko‡ (incumbent) (endorsed by Komeito)	87,524	43.7	3.0
Registered electors			317,754
Majority			35,076	12.6	New
Turnout			203,585	64.1	10.8
	Independent gain from Liberal Democratic

2014^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democratic	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
	Communist	Hiroshi Nishizawa	13,957	8.5	3.3
Registered electors			316,172
Majority			3,067	1.9	5.5
Turnout			168,488	53.3	7.5
	Liberal Democratic hold		Swing	5.4

2012^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democratic	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
	Communist	Hiroshi Nishizawa	9,908	5.2	New
Registered electors			318,807
Majority			14,057	7.4	New
Turnout			193,771	60.8	12.5
	Liberal Democratic gain from Democratic		Swing	6.1

Elections in the 2000s

2009^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Makiko Kikuta‡ (incumbent)	144,230	62.5	12.0
	Liberal Democratic	Hiroshi Kurihara‡	82,826	35.9	5.4
	Happiness Realization	Tsuyoshi Sekiya	3,660	1.6	New
Registered electors			321,921
Majority			61,404	26.6	17.4
Turnout			235,936	73.3	1.3
	Democratic hold		Swing	7.5

2005^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Makiko Kikuta‡ (incumbent)	114,843	50.5	3.0
	Liberal Democratic	Hiroshi Kurihara‡	93,971	41.3	1.7
	Communist	Motomi Mutou	18,503	8.1	1.1
Registered electors			322,023
Majority			20,872	9.2	4.7
Turnout			231,889	72.0	4.5
	Democratic hold		Swing	15.0

2003^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Makiko Kikuta‡	113,721	53.5	27.0
	Liberal Democratic	Hirohisa Kurihara‡ (incumbent)	83,880	39.6	6.4
	Communist	Motomi Mutou	14,776	7.0	1.3
Registered electors			321,244
Majority			29,391	13.9	New
Turnout			216,904	67.5	2.7
	Democratic gain from Liberal Democratic		Swing	13.5

2000^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democratic	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
	Communist	Motomi Mutou	18,069	8.3	0.8
Registered electors
Majority			2,694	1.2	9.9
Turnout				70.2	1.5
	Liberal Democratic hold		Swing	4.2

Elections in the 1990s

1996^[16]

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

References

1. "令和4年9月1日現在選挙人名簿及び在外選挙人名簿登録者数" [Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications - Number of registered voters as of 1 September 2022]. Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-01-13.
2. 新潟県 [Niigata Prefecture] (PDF). Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
3. "衆議院小選挙区選出議員の選挙区間における人口較差を緊急に是正するための公職選挙法及び衆議院議員選挙区画定審議会設置法の一部を改正する法律の一部を改正する法律". www.shugiin.go.jp. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
4. 新潟県 [Niigata Prefecture] (PDF). Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-02-06.
5. "法律第百四号（平六・一一・二五）". www.shugiin.go.jp. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
6. "公職選挙法の一部を改正する法律". www.shugiin.go.jp. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
7. "新「立憲民主」衆参１５０人で結党 野党第一党、枝野氏「選択肢示す」：東京新聞 TOKYO Web". 東京新聞 TOKYO Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-02-02.
8. 新潟4区 - 第49回衆議院議員選挙 [Niigata 4th District - 49th House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com (in Japanese).
9. 新潟4区 - 第48回衆議院議員選挙 [Niigata 4th District - 48th House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com (in Japanese).
10. 新潟4区 - 第47回衆議院議員選挙 [Niigata 4th District - 47th House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com (in Japanese).
11. 新潟4区 - 第46回衆議院議員選挙 [Niigata 4th District - 46th House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com (in Japanese).
12. 新潟4区 - 第45回衆議院議員選挙 [Niigata 4th District - 45th House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com (in Japanese).
13. 新潟4区 - 第44回衆議院議員選挙 [Niigata 4th District - 44th House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com (in Japanese).
14. 新潟4区 - 第43回衆議院議員選挙 [Niigata 4th District - 43rd House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com (in Japanese).
15. 新潟4区 - 第42回衆議院議員選挙 [Niigata 4th District - 42nd House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com (in Japanese).
16. 新潟4区 - 第41回衆議院議員選挙 [Niigata 4th District - 41st House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com (in Japanese).