Niigata 2nd district

Niigata 2nd District (新潟県第2区, Niigata-ken dai-ni-ku) is an electoral district in the Japanese House of Representatives, the lower house of the National Diet. The district was established in 1994 as part of the general move from multi-member districts to single-member districts in the House of Representatives.

Niigata 2nd District
新潟県第2区
Parliamentary constituency for the Japanese House of Representatives
Prefecture	Niigata
Proportional Block	Hokuriku Shinetsu PR
Electorate	402,082 (as of September 2022)[1]
Current constituency
Created	1994
Seats	One
Party	CDP
Representatives	Makiko Kikuta

In the 2024 Japanese general election, incumbent candidate, former Economy Vice Minister Kenichi Hosoda was not endorsed by the LDP because of involvement in the 2023–2024 Japanese slush fund scandal and ran as an independent candidate.^[2]

Areas covered

Current district

As of 2 February 2023, the areas covered by this district are as follows:^[3]

• Niigata
  • Minami
  • Nishi
  • Nishikan
• Sanjō
• Kamo
• Tsubame
• Nishikanbara District
• Minamikanbara District

As part of the 2022 redistricting, the wards of Niigata city would no longer be internally divided.

Areas 2013–2022

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

• Niigata^[6]
  • Parts of Minami (former villages of Ajikata, Tsukigata and Nakanokuchi)
    • Mikata and Tsukigata branch offices
  • Parts of Nishi (former towns of Maki and Nishikawa)
    • Yotsugoya area
  • Nishikan
• Nagaoka (former towns of Koshiji, Mishima, Yoita, Teradomari Oguni and the former village of Washima)
  • Areas of Nishitsu that were formerly a part of Koshiji
• Kashiwazaki
• Tsubame
• Sado
• Nishikanbara District
• Santō District
• Kariwa District

As part of the 2013 redistricting, the district gained parts of Minami, Nishi and Nishikan wards from the 1st district and gained parts of the city of Nagaoka from the 5th district.

Areas from before 2013

From the creation of the district in 1994 until the first redistricting in 2013, the areas covered by this district were as follows:^[7]

• Kashiwazaki
• Tsubame
• Ryōtsu
• Nishikanbara District
• Santo District
• Kariwa District
• Sado District

There was a small change in 2002 when the former town of Kurosaki in Nishinkanbara District was transferred to the 1st district, though the legal name of the town and county did not change.^[8]

History

Elected representatives

Representative	Party		Years served	Notes
Shin Sakurai		LDP	1996 – 2000	Failed to win re-election in the 2000 general election
Motohiko Kondo		Indep.	2000 – 2003	Joined the Liberal Democratic Party before the next election
		LDP	2003 – 2009	Was re-elected in the 2005 general election, but failed to win re-election in the 2009 Japanese election
Eiichiro Washio		DPJ	2009 – 2012	Failed to win re-election.
Kenichi Hosoda		LDP	2012 – 2017
Eiichiro Washio		Indep.	2017 – 2021
Kenichi Hosoda		LDP	2021 – 2024	Failed to win re-election.
Makiko Kikuta		CDP	2024 –	Moved from the 4th district

Election results

‡ - Also ran in the Hokuriku Shinetsu PR election

‡‡ - Also ran and won in the Hokuriku Shinetsu PR election

Elections in the 2020s

2024

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	CDP	Makiko Kikuta	123,334	56.19
	Independent	Kenichi Hosoda (endorsed by LDP Niigata chapter)	67,124	30.58	29.32
	Ishin	Motoyuki Inoue	29,023	13.22
Registered electors			393,272
Turnout
	CDP gain from Independent		Swing

2021^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Kenichi Hosoda‡ (incumbent - Hokuriku Shinetsu PR) (endorsed by Komeito)	105,426	59.9	16.8
	DPP	Sakae Takakura‡	37,157	21.1	New
	JCP	Taira Ayako‡ (endorsed by the SDP)	33,399	19.0	13.7
Registered electors			288,107
Majority			68,269	38.8	30.3
Turnout			180,528	62.7	1.1
	LDP gain from Independent		Swing

Elections in the 2010s

2017^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Eiichiro Washio (incumbent - Hokuriku Shinetsu PR)	97,808	51.6	New
	LDP	Kenichi Hosoda‡ (incumbent) (endorsed by Komeito)	81,705	43.1	0.1
	JCP	Takehiko Igarashi	10,055	5.3	1.7
Registered electors			302,713
Majority			16,103	8.5	8.4
Turnout			193,191	63.8	8.5
	Independent gain from LDP		Swing

2014^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Kenichi Hosoda‡ (incumbent) (endorsed by Komeito)	70,589	43.0	2.5
	Democratic	Eiichiro Washio‡	70,487	42.9	4.2
	Social Democratic	Hideaki Watanabe‡	11,801	7.2	2.9
	JCP	Kazuo Goino	11,434	7.0	1.4
Registered electors			304,858
Majority			102	0.1	6.7
Turnout			168,495	55.3	4.9
	LDP hold		Swing

2012^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Kenichi Hosoda‡ (endorsed by Komeito)	81,537	45.5	8.5
	Democratic	Eiichiro Washio‡‡ (incumbent) (endorsed by the PNP)	69,389	38.7	13.6
	Social Democratic	Hideaki Watanabe‡	18,169	10.1	0.4
	JCP	Toshihiro Miyaji	10,042	5.6	New
Registered electors			309,710
Majority			12,148	6.8	New
Turnout			186,569	60.2	15.6
	LDP gain from Democratic		Swing

Elections in the 2000s

2009^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Eiichiro Washio‡ (incumbent - Hokuriku Shinetsu PR)	122,686	52.3	8.0
	LDP	Motohiko Kondo‡ (incumbent) (endorsed by Komeito)	86,960	37.0	12.7
	Social Democratic	Noboru Yoneyama‡	22,866	9.7	New
	Happiness Realization	Satoshi Sugawara	2,257	1.0	New
Registered electors			315,884
Majority			35,726	15.3	New
Turnout			239,377	75.8	2.3
	Democratic gain from LDP		Swing

2005^[14]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Motohiko Kondo‡ (incumbent)	113,916	49.7	5.8
	Democratic	Eiichiro Washio‡‡	101,637	44.3	21.6
	JCP	Yoshio Hosoi	13,727	6.0	0.4
Registered electors			320,718
Majority			12,279	5.4	12.7
Turnout			235,856	73.5	4.0
	LDP hold		Swing

2003^[15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Motohiko Kondo‡ (incumbent)	95,391	43.9	5.2
	Independent	Masayuki Fujishima (incumbent - Kyushu PR)	56,002	25.8	New
	Democratic	Tomio Sakagami‡	49,382	22.7	New
	JCP	Yoko Yoneyama	12,225	5.6	4.0
	Independent	Ko Nishikawa	4,132	1.9	New
Registered electors			321,636
Majority			39,389	18.1	8.7
Turnout			223,537	69.5	6.4
	LDP gain from Independent		Swing

2000^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Motohiko Kondo	123,811	49.1	10.6
	LDP	Arata Sakurai‡ (incumbent)	100,220	39.7	1.1
	JCP	Fumihiko Murayama	24,172	9.6	3.6
	Independent	Isamu Kawahara	4,009	1.6	New
Registered electors			Unknown
Majority			23,591	9.4	New
Turnout			Unknown	75.9	4.7
	Independent gain from LDP		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

1996^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	LDP	Arata Sakurai‡	94,203	40.8	New
	Independent	Motohiko Kondo	89,044	38.5	New
	Democratic	Ichizo Kobayashi	17,335	7.5	New
	JCP	Hiroshi Nozaki	13,883	6.0	New
	New Socialist	Toshio Inamura‡	12,503	5.4	New
	Independent	Ko Nishikawa	4,093	1.8	New
Registered electors			339,397
Majority			5,159	2.3	New
Turnout			241,481	71.2	New
	LDP win (new seat)