area of Sendai, Tōhoku's largest city. Kitakantō Block The LDP maintained its previous grip on the rural prefectures, losing only one district in Ibaraki Prefecture where independent Kishiro Nakamura, a former LDP construction minister who was previously convicted in a bribery scandal, returned to politics and defeated the LDP's Keiko Nagaoka, wife of the deceased incumbent. In the suburbs of Saitama Prefecture, the LDP took five seats from the DPJ and held the #11 seat of unaffiliated rebel Ryuji Koizumi. Tokyo Block With a 9% swing in the list vote, the LDP made huge gains in urban Tokyo, changing the single-member district map from a 12-12 split with the DPJ to a 23-1 rout. Only former DPJ leader Naoto Kan held his district. The ruling coalition also held off two rebels in districts #10, where 'assassin' and Environment Minister Yuriko Koike defeated a rebel incumbent, and #12, where rebel Eita Yashiro failed in his attempt to embarrass the LDP by running against coalition partner Kōmeitō's candidate. In the proportional constituency, the LDP failed to submit a long enough list (perhaps electing more of their members from single-seat districts than expected), and thus did not receive one of the seats to which their vote total would have qualified them. This seat went to the SDP. Minamikantō Block While two independent LDP rebels held their seats in rural Yamanashi Prefecture, the LDP made dramatic gains against the DPJ in the urban and suburban areas of Kanagawa and Chiba Prefectures. In Kanagawa, of nine seats won by the DPJ in 2003, the LDP captured eight and independent Kenji Eda captured the ninth in a close three-way race, while in Chiba, the LDP reduced the DPJ from eight seats to one. The current youngest Diet member of Japan Taizō Sugimura was also elected in this region. Hokurikushinetsu Block In the mostly rural Hokuriku-shin'etsu block, the results were mostly static, with the LDP capturing one DPJ seat around Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture and holding Fukui #1 against a rebel, but losing the seat of postal rebel and People's New Party leader Tamisuke Watanuki in Toyama Prefecture, with the PNP also retaining a proportional seat. Tōkai Block In Aichi Prefecture, the LDP gained four single-seat districts ringing Nagoya, often considered the DPJ's heartland. In Mie Prefecture, there was no change, while in less urban Shizuoka Prefecture the LDP took a seat from the DPJ and held