Hiroko Nakano

is a former Japanese politician who served in the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature) as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan.

Early life Nakano is a native of Mutsu, Aomori and a graduate of Hirosaki Gakuin University.

Political career Nakano ran for the Diet for the first time in 2000 after serving three terms in the city assembly of Nemuro, Hokkaido since 1989. In her second attempt, she won a seat in the House of Representatives in the 2003 general election.

In the 2009 general election, Nakano was the only Democratic incumbent countrywide to lose her district seat to a Liberal Democrat. As the only losing Democratic district candidate in Hokkaidō though, she was safely reelected via the proportional representation block. She lost her seat in 2012.