General election in Japan held in 1979
1979 Japanese general election|
|
|
Turnout | 68.0% (5.4%) |
---|
|
First party
|
Second party
|
Third party
|
|
|
|
CGP
|
Leader
|
Masayoshi Ōhira
|
Ichio Asukata
|
Yoshikatsu Takeiri
|
Party
|
Liberal Democratic
|
Socialist
|
Kōmeitō
|
Leader since
|
1 December 1978
|
13 December 1977
|
13 February 1967
|
Last election
|
249 seats, 43.2%
|
123 seats, 21.9%
|
55 seats, 10.9%
|
Seats won
|
248
|
107
|
57
|
Seat change
|
1
|
16
|
2
|
Popular vote
|
24,084,131
|
10,643,450
|
5,282,683
|
Percentage
|
44.59%
|
19.71%
|
9.78%
|
Swing
|
1.4pp
|
2.2pp
|
1.1pp
|
|
|
Fourth party
|
Fifth party
|
Sixth party
|
|
|
DSP
|
|
Leader
|
Kenji Miyamoto
|
Sasaki Ryōsaku
|
Yōhei Kōno
|
Party
|
Communist
|
Democratic Socialist
|
New Liberal Club
|
Leader since
|
1 August 1958
|
|
June 1976
|
Last election
|
17 seats, 10.4%
|
29 seats, 6.3%
|
17 seats, 4.2%
|
Seats won
|
39
|
35
|
4
|
Seat change
|
22
|
6
|
13
|
Popular vote
|
5,625,528
|
3,663,692
|
1,631,812
|
Percentage
|
10.4%
|
6.78%
|
3.02%
|
Swing
|
|
0.5pp
|
1.2pp
|
|
|
Seventh party
|
|
|
SDF
|
|
Leader
|
Hideo Den
|
|
Party
|
Socialist Democratic
|
|
Leader since
|
March 1978
|
|
Last election
|
–
|
|
Seats won
|
2
|
|
Seat change
|
New
|
|
Popular vote
|
368,660
|
|
Percentage
|
0.68%
|
|
Swing
|
New
|
|
|
|
|
General elections were held in Japan on 7 October 1979 to elect the 511 members of the House of Representatives. Prime Minister Ōhira Masayoshi's announcement that a consumption (sales) tax would be imposed was a hot-button issue in the run-up to the election. Facing widespread public disapproval, the prime minister abandoned the tax proposal. The prime minister's party, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), ended up losing one seat, while the Japan Communist Party experienced a surge in voter support and its best ever electoral result, which mostly came at the expense of the Japan Socialist Party and the LDP-breakaway New Liberal Club.
This was the first election in the LDP's history in which the party increased its share of the popular vote compared to the previous election.
Results
|
---|
Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
---|
| Liberal Democratic Party | 24,084,131 | 44.59 | 248 | –1 |
| Japan Socialist Party | 10,643,450 | 19.71 | 107 | –16 |
| Japanese Communist Party | 5,625,528 | 10.42 | 39 | +22 |
| Kōmeitō | 5,282,683 | 9.78 | 57 | +2 |
| Democratic Socialist Party | 3,663,692 | 6.78 | 35 | +6 |
| New Liberal Club | 1,631,812 | 3.02 | 4 | –13 |
| Socialist Democratic Federation | 368,660 | 0.68 | 2 | New |
| Other parties | 69,101 | 0.13 | 0 | – |
| Independents | 2,641,064 | 4.89 | 19 | –2 |
Total | 54,010,121 | 100.00 | 511 | 0 |
|
Valid votes | 54,010,121 | 99.06 | |
---|
Invalid/blank votes | 511,892 | 0.94 | |
---|
Total votes | 54,522,013 | 100.00 | |
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Registered voters/turnout | 80,169,924 | 68.01 | |
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Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, National Diet |
By prefecture