Kōchi at-large district explained

The was a constituency that represents Kōchi Prefecture in the House of Councillors in the Diet of Japan. Councillors are elected to the house by single non-transferable vote (SNTV) for six-year terms. Since the establishment of the current House of Councillors electoral system in 1947, the district has elected two Councillors, one each at elections held every three years. With its 618,834 registered voters (as of September 2015)[1] it is the third-smallest electoral district for the house. To address the imbalance in representation between districts, a 2015 revision of the Public Officers Election Law will see the district merged with the Tokushima At-large district to create the Tokushima-Kochi At-large district;[2] this change will begin to take effect at the 2016 election, at which one Councillor will be elected.

The Councillors currently representing Kochi are:

Elected Councillors

class of 1947election yearclass of 1950
(1947: 6-year term)(1947: 3-year term)
Kameshichi Nishiyama
(Liberal)
1947Tazō Irimajiri
(Democratic)
1950Tazō Irimajiri
(Liberal)
Yutaka Terao
(Liberal)
1953
1956Akira Sakamoto
(Social Democratic)
Yutaka Terao
(LDP)
1959
1962Shunji Shiomi
(LDP)
1965
1968
Takao Hamada
(LDP)[3]
1971
Yu Hayashi
(LDP)
1974 by-election
1974
1977
1980Kanzo Tanigawa
(LDP)
1983
1986
Ruriko Nishioka
(Social Democratic)
1989
1992Sadao Hirano
(Ind.)
Kohei Tamura
(Ind.)
1995
1998Hiroyuki Morishita
(LDP)
2001
2004[4] Hajime Hirota
(Ind.)[5]
Norio Takeuchi
(DPJ)
2007[6]
2010[7] Hajime Hirota
(DPJ)
Kojiro Takano
(LDP)
2013[8]
2016Seat abolished
Seat abolished2019

References

Footnotes

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 平成27年9月2日(定時登録日)現在における選挙人名簿 登録者数の概要 . 2 September 2015 (Periodic Registration Day) Current enrolled voters - Overview of number of registered voters . Japanese . 2 September 2015 . 22 February 2016.
  2. Web site: Upper House districts set for shake-up after electoral reform laws pass Diet . Japan Times . 28 July 2015 . 22 February 2016.
  3. Died in office on 23 March 1974
  4. Web site: 選挙区開票結果 <高知県> . District election results (Kochi) . Asahi Shimbun . Japanese. 11 March 2016.
  5. Joined the Democratic Party in 2009.
  6. Web site: 選挙区 高知県 開票結果 参院選2007 . Kochi At-large district election results, 2007 House of Councillors election . Yomiuri Shimbun . 11 March 2016.
  7. Web site: 選挙区 高知 選挙結果 参議院選挙(参院選)2010 . Kochi At-large district election results, 2010 House of Councillors election . Yomiuri Shimbun . 22 February 2016.
  8. Web site: 選挙区 高知 選挙結果 参議院選挙(参院選)2013 . Kochi At-large district election results, 2013 House of Councillors election . Yomiuri Shimbun . 22 February 2016.