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
PrefectureIwate
Proportional DistrictTohoku
Electorate376,270
Current constituency
Created1994
SeatsOne
PartyLDP
RepresentativeShun'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

edit

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

edit

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

edit

Districts

edit

List of representatives

edit
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

edit
  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. ^ a b "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.