Tochigi 1st district

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Tochigi 1st District (栃木県第1区) is a constituency of Japan’s House of Representatives in Tochigi Prefecture. It was created in 1994 during electoral reforms that switched from multi-member districts to single-member districts and introduced proportional representation. The district covers the urban area around the prefectural capital, Utsunomiya, including Utsunomiya City (excluding the former Kamikawachi and Kawachi towns) and Kawachi District. As of September 1, 2023, the electorate was 417,774. The current representative is Hajime Funada of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The district is a conservative stronghold, with the Funada family having represented it for generations and with ties to Sakushin Gakuin University, where the family has long served as presidents. In elections, Funada lost to Hiroko Mizushima (DPJ) in 2000, won again in 2003 and 2005, then lost to Hisashi Ishimori (DPJ) in 2009. Ishimori lost to Funada in 2012, and Funada has held the seat in every election since.