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| Okayama at-large district | |
|---|---|
| 沖縄県選挙区 | |
| Parliamentary constituency for theHouse of Councillors | |
 | |
| Prefecture | Okinawa |
| Electorate | 1,178,239 (as of September 2022)[1] |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1970 |
| Seats | 2 |
| Councillors | Class of 2019: Class of 2022: |
TheOkinawa at-large district is a constituency of theHouse of Councillors in theDiet of Japan (national legislature). It consists of the entire prefecture ofOkinawa and was created in 1970 following the agreement between US presidentRichard Nixon and prime ministerEisaku Satō on restoration of Japanese sovereignty over the Ryūkyū islands. Okinawa is represented by two Councillors electing one every three years.
Single-member districts for the House of Councillors ([参議院]一人区,[sangiin] ichininku) usually get higher attention in House of Councillors elections because they are easier to swing completely than multi-member districts and thus play a decisive role for the outcome of elections. As a result of the concentrated US military presence in Okinawa, the prefecture has become a focal point of political debate over themutual security treaty which is the cornerstone of Japanese foreign policy. The district was in many elections contested between only two candidates backed by the major postwar parties, the conservativeLiberal Democratic Party (LDP) and theJapan Socialist Party (JSP). TheJapanese Communist Party (JCP) in Okinawa unlike in most other districts for national elections cooperated with the Socialists in nominating candidates in the form of theKakushin Tōitsu (革新統一, "progressive unification").
Current Councillors for Okinawa are:
Both Councilors are members of the Okinawa Whirlwind caucus, despite Iha maintaining independence from theOkinawa Social Mass Party.
| Class of 1974 | Election year | Class of 1971 |
|---|---|---|
| #1 (1970: #1, 4-year term) | #1 (1970: #2, 1-year term) | |
| Shin’ei Kyan (Indep.) | 1970 by-election[2] | Ichirō Inamine (LDP) |
| 1971[3] | ||
| 1974[4] | ||
| 1977[5] | ||
| 1980[6] | ||
| Shinjun Ōshiro (LDP) | 1982 by-election[7] | |
| 1983[8] | Shin’ei Kyan (Indep.*) | |
| 1986[9] | ||
| 1989[10] | ||
| Sōkō Shimabuku (Others*) | 1992[11] | |
| 1995[12] | Kantoku Teruya (Indep.) | |
| 1998[13] | ||
| 2001[14] | Junshirō Nishime (LDP) | |
| Keiko Itokazu (Indep.*) | 2004[15] | |
| Aiko Shimajiri (Others*→LDP) | 2007 by-election[16] | |
| 2007[17] | Keiko Itokazu (Indep.*) | |
| 2010[18] | ||
| 2013[19] | ||
| Yōichi Iha (Indep.) | 2016[20] | |
| 2019[21] | Tetsumi Takara (Indep.) |