1980 Japanese general election

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1980 Japanese general election
Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg
  1979 22 June 1980 1983  

All 511 seats in the House of Representatives
256 seats needed for a majority
Turnout74.6% (Increase2.svg6.6%)
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Masayoshi Ohira.jpg Ichio Asukata Crop.png Yoshikatsu-Takeiri-3.png
Leader Masayoshi Ōhira
(died on 12 June)
Ichio Asukata Yoshikatsu Takeiri
Party Liberal Democratic Socialist Kōmeitō
Last election44.59%, 248 seats19.71%, 107 seats9.78%, 57 seats
Seats won28410733
Seat changeIncrease2.svg36Steady2.svgDecrease2.svg24
Popular vote28,262,44111,400,7485,329,942
Percentage47.88%19.31%9.03%
SwingIncrease2.svg3.29ppDecrease2.svg0.40ppDecrease2.svg0.74pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
  Ryosaku-Sasaki-1.png Kenji Miyamoto (cropped).jpg Yohei Kono 1985.jpg
Leader Sasaki Ryōsaku Kenji Miyamoto Yōhei Kōno
Party Democratic Socialist Communist New Liberal Club
Last election6.78%, 35 seats10.42%, 39 seats3.02%, 4 seats
Seats won322912
Seat changeDecrease2.svg4Decrease2.svg10Increase2.svg8
Popular vote3,896,7285,803,6131,766,396
Percentage6.60%9.83%2.99%
SwingDecrease2.svg0.18ppDecrease2.svg0.59ppDecrease2.svg0.03pp

 Seventh party
  Fujin-Seikatsu-1966-April-1.png
Leader Hideo Den
Party Socialist Democratic
Last election0.68%, 2 seats
Seats won3
Seat changeIncrease2.svg1
Popular vote402,832
Percentage0.68%
SwingSteady2.svg

1980 JAPAN GENERAL ELECTION, combined vote share.svg

Prime Minister before election

Masayoshi Ōhira
Liberal Democratic

Prime Minister after election

Zenkō Suzuki
Liberal Democratic

General elections were held in Japan on 22 June 1980. They were the result of a vote of no confidence brought by the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) on 16 May regarding corruption and rises in public utility charges as reasons for the House of Representatives of Japan (lower house) to withdraw its backing from the government.

Unexpectedly, 69 Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) members of the Diet from the Fukuda Takeo, Miki Takeo and Hidenao Nakagawa factions abstained from voting on the motion. The government was defeated by 56 votes in total of 243 and resigned.

For the first time, elections for both houses of the Diet were called in June 1980. During the election, Prime Minister Masayoshi Ōhira, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party died during the campaign. Ōhira had expected the vote of no confidence to fail, and was visibly shaken when it passed by a margin of 243–187. Sixty-nine members of his own LDP, including Fukuda, abstained. Given the choice of resigning or calling new elections, Ōhira chose the latter and began campaigning for LDP candidates. He was hospitalized for exhaustion on 31 May and died of a massive heart attack 12 days later.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Masayoshi Ito acted in Ōhira's place as deputy after his death. In the elections of both the houses LDP gained a majority. The election results for the lower house are shown in the table below. Yoshio Sakurauchi, the Secretary General of LDP, led the LDP to its greatest victory in fifteen years, capitalizing on the "sympathy vote" generated by Ōhira's death. The Prime Minister was succeeded by Zenkō Suzuki after the election.

Results

Japan House of Representatives 1980.svg
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Liberal Democratic Party 28,262,44247.88284+36
Japan Socialist Party 11,400,74819.311070
Japanese Communist Party 5,803,6139.8329–10
Kōmeitō 5,329,9429.0333–24
Democratic Socialist Party 3,896,7286.6032–4
New Liberal Club 1,766,3962.9912+8
Socialist Democratic Federation 402,8320.683+1
Other parties109,1680.180
Independents2,056,9673.4811–8
Total59,028,836100.005110
Valid votes59,028,83697.82
Invalid/blank votes1,313,4922.18
Total votes60,342,328100.00
Registered voters/turnout80,925,03474.57
Source: Statistics Bureau of Japan, National Diet

By prefecture

PrefectureTotal
seats
Seats won
LDP JSP Kōmeitō DSP JCP NLC SDF Ind.
Aichi 221122412
Akita 853
Aomori 7511
Chiba 1611221
Ehime 963
Fukui 431
Fukuoka 19923221
Fukushima 12921
Gifu 9621
Gunma 1073
Hiroshima 127311
Hokkaido 2211911
Hyōgo 2096221
Ibaraki 1293
Ishikawa 651
Iwate 862
Kagawa 642
Kagoshima 1192
Kanagawa 19553213
Kōchi 52111
Kumamoto 10721
Kyoto 1032221
Mie 9621
Miyagi 9621
Miyazaki 651
Nagano 137411
Nagasaki 95211
Nara 52111
Niigata 15852
Ōita 7511
Okayama 106211
Okinawa 52111
Osaka 26736361
Saga 541
Saitama 1593111
Shiga 52111
Shimane 532
Shizuoka 14811211
Tochigi 10631
Tokushima 541
Tokyo 4315762751
Tottori 422
Toyama 651
Wakayama 63111
Yamagata 8521
Yamaguchi 9621
Yamanashi 541
Total51128410733322912311

Notes

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