Iwate 2nd district

Iwate 2nd district is a single-member constituency of the House of Representatives in the National Diet of Japan located in Iwate Prefecture. As of 2020, the district was home to 376,270 constituents.^[1]

Iwate 2nd District
Parliamentary constituency for the Japanese House of Representatives
Numbered map of Iwate Prefecture single-member districts
Prefecture	Iwate
Proportional District	Tohoku
Electorate	376,270
Current constituency
Created	1994
Seats	One
Party	LDP
Representative	Shun'ichi Suzuki

The area was for a long time the location of the political support base of former Prime Minister Zenkō Suzuki and, for most of its existence, the 2nd district has been represented by his son Shun'ichi Suzuki, current Minister of Finance.^[2]

2011 earthquake and tsunami

The impact of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami was concentrated in Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate prefectures.^[3] As the 2nd district contains all of Iwate's coastline,^[4] it was hit the hardest of Iwate's three districts and was one of the worst affected districts in all of Japan.^[3]

Area

The district spans Eastern and Northern Iwate. It is the largest Lower House electoral district on the island of Honshu, roughly 7000 km², more than three times the size of Tokyo Metropolis.^[5] After redistricting in 2017, it includes a large area that was previously of part of the Iwate 3rd district.

Cities

• Miyako
• Ōfunato
• Kuji
• Tōno
• Rikuzentakata
• Kamaishi
• Ninohe
• Hachimantai
• Takizawa

Districts

• Iwate
• Kesen
• Kamihei
• Shimohei
• Kunohe
• Ninohe

List of representatives

Representative	Party		Dates	Notes
Shun'ichi Suzuki		LDP	1996 – 2009	Lost re-election
Kōji Hata		DPJ	2009 – 2012	Won a seat in PR block
Shun'ichi Suzuki		LDP	2012 –

References

1. "Electoral List and Overseas Registrants as of September 2, 2nd Year of Reiwa". 2 September 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
2. "Members The House of Representatives, Japan". www.shugiin.go.jp. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
3. "Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011 | Facts & Death Toll". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 2021-06-10.
4. 猿払の天馬 (2013-02-20), House of Representatives Single-seat Constituencies in Iwate Prefecture, retrieved 2021-06-10
5. "区割り見直し、地域一体性や基礎自治体を無視 つじつま合わせの「格差是正」を続ければ本末転倒". Sankei News (in Japanese). 19 April 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2023.