Okinawa 3rd district

Summary

Okinawa 3rd district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan (national legislature). It is located in Okinawa Prefecture and encompasses the cities of Nago, Okinawa, Uruma, Kunigami District and parts of Shimajiri District (Iheya and Izena). As of 2016, 312,171 eligible voters were registered in the district.[1]

Okinawa 3rd District
Parliamentary constituency
for the Japanese House of Representatives
Numbered map of Okinawa Prefecture single-member districts
PrefectureOkinawa
Proportional DistrictKyushu
Electorate316,908 (2021)
Current constituency
Created1994
SeatsOne
PartyLDP
RepresentativeAiko Shimajiri
Created fromOkinawa's at-large "medium-sized" district
MunicipalitiesNago, Okinawa City, Uruma, Kunigami District and parts of Shimajiri District (Iheya and Izena)

In 2018 the district was represented by Denny Tamaki of the Liberal Party who automatically forfeited his seat after becoming a gubernatorial candidate in September. The by-election was not held in the immediate by-election slot in October 2018, but only in April 2019 because a Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the malapportionment in the last general election to the House of Representatives was still pending.[2][3] The by-election date was later announced to be 21 April 2019. In the 2019 election, Tomohiro Yara, freelance journalist and strong opponent of the relocation of the Futenma US Marine base, defeated Aiko Shimajiri, former member of the Diet Upper House and minister.[4] However, the 2021 general elections reversed the results.[5] Reportedly, this was due to increased support for the LDP among younger voters because of the party's harder line on China and proactive security policy.[6]

List of representatives edit

Representative Party Dates Notes
Kōsuke Uehara SDP 1996 – 2000
Mitsuko Tōmon SDP 2000 – 2003
Chiken Kakazu LDP 2003 – 2009
Denny Tamaki DPJ 2009 – 2012
PLF 2012
TPJ 2012
Natsumi Higa LDP 2012 – 2014
Denny Tamaki LP 2014 – 2017
Ind. 2017 – 2018 Resigned to run in the 2018 Okinawa gubernatorial election
Vacant (September 2018 – April 2019)
Tomohiro Yara Ind. 2019 – 2021
Aiko Shimajiri LDP 2021 –

Election results edit

2021[7]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democratic Aiko Shimajiri 87,710 52.14  8.63
CDP Tomohiro Yara 80,496 47.86  8.63
Turnout 54.00  10.01
Liberal Democratic gain from Independent
2019 by-election[8]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Tomohiro Yara 77,156 56.49  1.37
Liberal Democratic Aiko Shimajiri 59,428 43.51  3.21
Turnout 43.99  10.06
Independent hold
2017[9]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Independent Denny Tamaki 95,517 57.86  2.12
Liberal Democratic Natsumi Higa (endorsed by Kōmeitō) 66,527 40.30  0.27
Happiness Realization Tatsurō Kinjō 3,031 1.84 N/A
Majority 28,990 17.56
Turnout 54.05  3.40
Independent hold Swing  1.20
2014[10]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
People's Life Denny Tamaki (endorsed by JCP, SDP, PLP, OSMP, the Greens and Shinfūkai) 89,110 59.97  23.91
Liberal Democratic Natsumi Higa (elected by PR, endorsed by Kōmeitō) 59,491 40.03  3.54
Majority 29,619 19.94
Turnout 50.65
People's Life gain from Liberal Democratic Swing  13.73
2012[11]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democratic Natsumi Higa (endorsed by NKP) 68,523 43.57  19.82
Tomorrow Denny Tamaki (elected by PR, endorsed by NPD) 56,711 36.06  12.66
Restoration Toshio Ōshiro (endorsed by YP) 12,503 7.95 N/A
Communist Noboru Miyazato 10,269 6.53 N/A
Democratic Hironobu Sakihama 7,404 4.71 N/A
Happiness Realization Tatsurō Kinjō 1,874 1.19  0.31
Majority 11,812 7.51
Turnout
Liberal Democratic gain from Tomorrow Swing  16.24
2009[12]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Denny Tamaki (endorsed by PNP and OSMP) 89,266 48.72  24.76
Liberal Democratic Chiken Kakazu (endorsed by NKP) 43,513 23.75  18.76
Social Democratic Shūsei Arakawa (endorsed by OSMP) 24,911 13.60  16.38
Independent Tōru Odo 23,920 13.06 N/A
Happiness Realization Tatsurō Kinjō 1,613 0.88 N/A
Majority 45,753 24.97
Democratic gain from Liberal Democratic Swing  21.76
2005[13]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democratic Chiken Kakazu (endorsed by NKP) 72,407 42.51
Social Democratic Mitsuko Tōmon (endorsed by OSMP) 51,074 29.98
Democratic Denny Tamaki 40,819 23.96
Communist Ken Inohara 6,043 3.55
Liberal Democratic hold Swing
2003
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Democratic Chiken Kakazu (endorsed by NKP) 62,975 38.5
Social Democratic Mitsuko Tōmon (elected by PR, endorsed by DPJ and OSMP) 58,931 36.0
Independent Kōnosuke Kokuba (endorsed by NCP) 35,149 21.5
Communist Ken Inohara 6,581 4.0
Liberal Democratic gain from Social Democratic Swing
2000
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Democratic Mitsuko Tōmon (endorsed by LL and OSMP) 68,378 33.8
Independents' Club Kenjirō Nishida 52,089 25.8
Liberal Democratic Chiken Kakazu (elected by PR, endorsed by NKP and NCP) 48,622 24.1
Democratic Kōsuke Uehara 32,917 16.3
1996
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Social Democratic Kōsuke Uehara 80,534 47.0
Liberal Democratic Chiken Kakazu 45,591 26.6
Liberal League Yoshimasa Takaesu 24,699 14.4
Communist Maneyoshi Furugen 20,532 12.0

References edit

  1. ^ Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC): [1] (in Japanese)
  2. ^ Jiji Press, September 13, 2018: 玉城衆院議員が失職=沖縄知事選立候補で
  3. ^ Mainichi Shimbun, September 14, 2018: 衆院選 沖縄3区補選は行わず 「1票の格差」訴訟により
  4. ^ "Tomohiro Yara wins Okinawa No. 3 district Lower House by-election with platform opposing new Henoko base". Ryuku shimbo. 21 April 2019. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Tokyo pushes Henoko issue as opponents reel from new setback". The Asahi Shimbun. 7 November 2021. Archived from the original on 10 November 2021.
  6. ^ Park, Ju-min (31 October 2021). "In Japan's Okinawa, ruling party's tough China stance helps win young voters". Reuters. Archived from the original on 31 October 2021.
  7. ^ 開票速報 小選挙区:沖縄 - 2021衆議 (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  8. ^ 沖縄3区 辺野古移設反対屋良氏が自民元大臣を破る) (in Japanese). NHK. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  9. ^ 小選挙区開票速報:沖縄県(定数4) (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  10. ^ 小選挙区:沖縄県 - 開票速報 - 2014総選挙: 朝日新聞デジタル (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  11. ^ 第46回総選挙>小選挙区開票速報:沖縄県 (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  12. ^ 小選挙区開票結果ー沖縄県3区 (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
  13. ^ 2005総選挙>小選挙区開票結果ー沖縄県3区 (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. Retrieved 27 February 2018.