History
The district was created after the 1994 electoral reform. Initially, the seat was given to Kanzo Muraoka, who had previously served as Chief Cabinet Secretary, while Hidefumi Minorikawa was elected proportionally, as a deal to let both hold seats in the House of Representatives. However, after Hidefumi died in 2003, the deal dissolved. His son, Nobuhide Minorikawa, challenged Muraoka as an independent. Nobuhide managed to defeat Muraoka in the 2003 election, securing the seat.
Muraoka was indicted in the Japan Dental Federation Black Donation Case [ ja ], so did not run in the 2005 election. Instead, his second son, Toshihide Muraoka, ran instead. He lost to Minorikawa again. They held a rematch in 2009, but this time were upstaged by DPJ-ite Kimiko Kyono, leaving both of the others without seats. By 2012, Kyono had joined the TPJ, as DPJ and other splinter candidates struggled across the country. Both Toshihide and Minorikawa ran for the seat, and Minorikawa won. Toshihide had joined the conservative opposition Japan Restoration Party, and was elected proportionally from the group.
In 2014, Toshihide and Minorikawa battled again, and Minorikawa won. However, the final margin of votes was just under 6,000, and Toshihide was resurrected again with the JIP. In 2017, Toshihide joined Kibō no Tō to challenge Minorikawa under the party. However, he was defeated by six points, and Toshihide was unable to be resurrected proportionally due to the poor performance of Kibō nationwide.
Toshihide did not run for the seat in 2021, and Minorikawa only faced a JCP challenger who was dispatched by a wide margin.
In 2024, four candidates ran, the most since 2012. Not only was Toshihide back under the DPP banner to challenge Minorikawa, but both a CDP challenger, Ikuyo Ogawa, was present, along with another JCP candidate, Kazuhisa Fujita. In the end, Toshihide finally succeeded in unseating Minorikawa; it was the first time in the five elections Toshihide had run in that he had unseated Minorikawa, and the first time in the district's history a non-LDP affiliate had won. [a] Minorikawa was nevertheless resurrected proportionally. It was also the first time since 2000 that a Muraoka won the district.
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