As a result of the 2022 reapportionments, the district lost the remaining areas of Tochigi city to Tochigi's 5th district, while gain the rest of Shimotsuke from Tochigi's 1st district
Areas from 2017 to 2022
Between the second rediscricting in 2017 and the third redistricting in 2022, the areas covered by this district were as follows:[4][5]
From the creation of the district until 2012, every election was a fierce competition between Tsutomu Sato, who served as the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's General Affairs Committee and as Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, and Kenji Yamaoka, who served as the chairman of the Democratic Party of Japan's Diet Affairs Committee and as the chairman of the National Public Safety Commission.
For the first four elections, Tsutomu beat Kenji every time by tens of thousands of votes. However, carried by the surge of the Democraic Party of Japan in the 2009 Japanese general election, Kenji was able to win the seat from Tsutomu and become a representative for the first time.
This victory was short-lived however, as in the 2012 Japanese general election, Tsutomu won back his seat with a large margin of over 80,000 votes, putting Kenji into 3rd place.
Tsutomu was able to secure major victories in the next 2 general elections, effectively denying the other candidates a seat on the Northern Kanto proportional representation block. This started to change in 2021 when Takao Fujioka was able to secure a seat on the proportional district, closing the gap to just 4,820 votes. He then went on to win the seat outright in the 2024 Japanese general election, unseating Tsutomu who was relegated to the proportional block seat.
^Yamaoka left the Democratic Party of Japan after diverging with his party of a consumption tax increase. He official left on July 2, 2012 along with 51 other members of the National Diet[12][13]
^衆議院小選挙区選出議員の選挙区間における人口較差を緊急に是正するための公職選挙法及び衆議院議員選挙区画定審議会設置法の一部を改正する法律の一部を改正する法律 [An Act amending the Public Offices Election Act, and the Act for the establishment of the House of Representatives Electoral Districts Delimitation Council, in order to urgently correct the population disparity in the electoral districts of the House of Representatives single-seat constituencies]. www.shugiin.go.jp. Japanese House of Representatives. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 26 Dec 2024.
^反対・棄権・欠席した民主党衆院議員の顔ぶれ [The Democratic Party members of the House of Representatives who opposed, abstained or were absent]. Yomiuri Shimbun. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
^谷亮子氏、姫井由美子氏、青木愛氏…山岡賢次民主副代表提出の離党届議員 一部は離党否定 [Ryoko Tani, Yumiko Himei, Ai Aoki... Democratic Party Vice-Chairman Kenji Yamaoka submitted his resignation notice. Some of them deny leaving the party]. sankei.jp.msn.com. Archived from the original on 2 July 2012. Retrieved 22 Dec 2024.
^栃木4区 第45回衆議院議員選挙 [Tochigi 4th District - 45th House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com. Retrieved 22 Dec 2024.
^栃木4区 第44回衆議院議員選挙 [Tochigi 4th District - 44th House of Representatives Election]. go2senkyo.com. Retrieved 22 Dec 2024.
^栃木4区 第43回衆議院議員選挙 [Tochigi 4th District - 43rd House of Representatives elections]. go2senkyo.com. Retrieved 22 Dec 2024.
