Saga's 1st district
Encyclopedia
Saga 1st district is a constituency of the House of Representatives
in the Diet of Japan
(national legislature). It is located in Saga Prefecture
and consists of Tosu
, parts of Saga
and Kanzaki
as well as the Miyaki District
. As of 2009, 235,974 eligible voters were registered in the district.
Saga 1st district has been a swing district since its creation in 1996: it alternately elected candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party
(LDP) and the Democratic Party of Japan
(DPJ)/its precursor New Frontier Party
(NFP). The district is currently represented by Kazuhiro Haraguchi
(DPJ), Minister of Internal Affairs and Communication in the Hatoyama cabinet following the 2009 election. He had initially won the district narrowly for the NFP in 1996 but lost it in 2000 to Takanori Sakai (LDP) who was appointed as Cabinet Office Vice Minister in the 2nd realigned Mori cabinet. In March 2003, Sakai was arrested (and later sentenced to 32 months in prison) for having received illicit corporate donations in violation of the Political Funds Control Law. Takamaro Fukuoka
replaced Sakai as LDP candidate for Saga 1 in the 2003 election and lost to Haraguchi. The "postal privatization" election of 2005 gave the LDP a landslide victory, and Fukuoka beat Haraguchi despite the fact that the DPJ's opposition ally, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), unlike in previous elections did not nominate a candidate in Saga 1st district.
Before the 1994 electoral reform, the area had been part of Saga At-large district where five representatives were elected by single non-transferable vote
.
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
in the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
(national legislature). It is located in Saga Prefecture
Saga Prefecture
is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
and consists of Tosu
Tosu, Saga
is a city located in the east part of Saga Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.-Overview:Tosu is one of the major transportation hubs of Kyūshū. Its main train station is Tosu Station which connects the Nagasaki Main Line and the Kagoshima Main Line. There is also a junction connecting the...
, parts of Saga
Saga, Saga
is the capital of Saga Prefecture, located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.Saga was the capital of Saga Domain in the Edo period, and largest city of former Hizen Province....
and Kanzaki
Kanzaki, Saga
is a city located in Saga Prefecture, Japan. The city was created on March 20, 2006 by the merger of the towns of Kanzaki and Chiyoda, and the village of Sefuri, all from Kanzaki District...
as well as the Miyaki District
Miyaki District, Saga
is a district located in Saga Prefecture, Japan.In February 2009, the district had an estimated population of 54,233 and a density of 625 per km²...
. As of 2009, 235,974 eligible voters were registered in the district.
Saga 1st district has been a swing district since its creation in 1996: it alternately elected candidates for the Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Democratic Party (Japan)
The , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre-right political party in Japan. It is one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world. The LDP ruled almost continuously for nearly 54 years from its founding in 1955 until its defeat in the 2009 election...
(LDP) and the Democratic Party of Japan
Democratic Party of Japan
The is a political party in Japan founded in 1998 by the merger of several opposition parties. Its socially liberal platform is generally considered center-left in the Japanese political spectrum...
(DPJ)/its precursor New Frontier Party
New Frontier Party
The was a Japanese political party that existed during the mid-1990s. As a merger of several small parties, the party was ideologically diverse, with its membership ranging from moderate socialists to neoliberals and conservatives...
(NFP). The district is currently represented by Kazuhiro Haraguchi
Kazuhiro Haraguchi
is a Japanese politician of the Democratic Party of Japan , a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Saga, Saga and graduate of the University of Tokyo, he was elected to the assembly of Saga Prefecture for the first time in 1987 as a member of the Liberal Democratic...
(DPJ), Minister of Internal Affairs and Communication in the Hatoyama cabinet following the 2009 election. He had initially won the district narrowly for the NFP in 1996 but lost it in 2000 to Takanori Sakai (LDP) who was appointed as Cabinet Office Vice Minister in the 2nd realigned Mori cabinet. In March 2003, Sakai was arrested (and later sentenced to 32 months in prison) for having received illicit corporate donations in violation of the Political Funds Control Law. Takamaro Fukuoka
Takamaro Fukuoka
is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . A native of Saga, Saga and graduate of Keio University, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 2005 after an unsuccessful run in 2003.- External links :* ...
replaced Sakai as LDP candidate for Saga 1 in the 2003 election and lost to Haraguchi. The "postal privatization" election of 2005 gave the LDP a landslide victory, and Fukuoka beat Haraguchi despite the fact that the DPJ's opposition ally, the Social Democratic Party (SDP), unlike in previous elections did not nominate a candidate in Saga 1st district.
Before the 1994 electoral reform, the area had been part of Saga At-large district where five representatives were elected by single non-transferable vote
Single non-transferable vote
The single non-transferable vote or SNTV is an electoral system used in multi-member constituency elections.- Voting :In any election, each voter casts one vote for one candidate in a multi-candidate race for multiple offices. Posts are filled by the candidates with the most votes...
.