Chiba 4th district is a constituency of the House of Representatives in the Diet of Japan, located in Western Chiba. As of 2016, 459,431 eligible voters were registered in the district.Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC): In the 2009 and 2012 general elections, the district had the lowest electoral weight throughout Japan at more than two times as many voters as the district with the highest electoral weight, Kōchi-3rd.Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC): 平成24年9月2日現在選挙人名簿及び在外選挙人名簿登録者数
Former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda represented Chiba 4th district from 2000 until 2024 when he transferred to the newly established Chiba 14th district. Noda initially lost as a candidate for the New Frontier Party by 105 votes to Liberal Democrat Shōichi Tanaka in 1996. Amid the LDP landslide in 2012 that returned them into power, then-PM Noda became a rare DPJ politician who actually increased his share of vote in his constituency.
Before resdistricting, the electoral district covered the city of Funabashi. After 2022 it comprises a part of Funabashi and a part of Ichikawa. Areas of Funabashi that had previously belonged to the 4th were moved to the new 14th district.
Before the electoral reform of 1994, Funabashi was part of Chiba 1st district where four Representatives had been elected by single non-transferable vote.
List of representatives Representative Party Dates Notes Shōichi Tanaka LDP 1996 – 2000 Yoshihiko Noda DPJ 2000 – 2016 DP 2016 – 2017 Ind 2017 – 2021 CDP 2021 – 2024 Hideyuki Mizunuma 2024 – 2026 LDP 2026 –
Election results
In 2009, Yoshihiko Noda's candidacy was formally supported by the People's New Party, Mikio Fujita by New Komeito.
References