1980 Japanese general election

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1980 Japanese general election

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22 June 1980
1983 →

All 511 seats in the House of Representatives
256 seats needed for a majority
Turnout74.57% (Increase6.56%)
 First partySecond partyThird party
 
LeaderEiichi Nishimura (acting)Ichio AsukataYoshikatsu Takeiri
PartyLDPSocialistKōmeitō
Last election44.59%, 248 seats19.71%, 107 seats9.78%, 57 seats
Seats won28410733
Seat changeIncrease36SteadyDecrease24
Popular vote28,262,44111,400,7485,329,942
Percentage47.88%19.31%9.03%
SwingIncrease3.29ppDecrease0.40ppDecrease0.74pp

 Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
 
LeaderSasaki Ryōsaku [ja]Kenji MiyamotoYōhei Kōno
PartyDemocratic SocialistJCPNew Liberal Club
Last election6.78%, 35 seats10.42%, 39 seats3.02%, 4 seats
Seats won322912
Seat changeDecrease4Decrease10Increase8
Popular vote3,896,7285,803,6131,766,396
Percentage6.60%9.83%2.99%
SwingDecrease0.18ppDecrease0.59ppDecrease0.03pp


Prime Minister before election

Masayoshi Ito (acting)
LDP

Elected Prime Minister

Zenkō Suzuki
LDP

General elections were held in Japan on 22 June 1980. The incumbent Liberal Democratic Party won an overall majority for the first time since 1972.

Campaign

[edit]

Vote of no confidence in the Ohira cabinet

[edit]

The election was triggered following a vote of no confidence brought by the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) on 16 May 1980 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 LDP 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, leading to the fall of the government.

For the first time, the election for the House of Representatives was held in conjunction with the election for the House of Councillors on the same day.

Death of the Prime Minister

[edit]

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. 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 became acting prime minister after Ōhira's 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

[edit]
PartyVotes%Seats+/–
Liberal Democratic Party28,262,44247.88284+36
Japan Socialist Party11,400,74819.311070
Japanese Communist Party5,803,6139.8329−10
Kōmeitō5,329,9429.0333−24
Democratic Socialist Party3,896,7286.6032−4
New Liberal Club1,766,3962.9912+8
Socialist Democratic Federation402,8320.683+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
Seats won per district

By prefecture

[edit]
PrefectureTotal
seats
Seats won
LDPJSPKōmeitōDSPJCPNLCSDFInd.
Aichi221122412
Akita853
Aomori7511
Chiba1611221
Ehime963
Fukui431
Fukuoka19923221
Fukushima12921
Gifu9621
Gunma1073
Hiroshima127311
Hokkaido2211911
Hyōgo2096221
Ibaraki1293
Ishikawa651
Iwate862
Kagawa642
Kagoshima1192
Kanagawa19553213
Kōchi52111
Kumamoto10721
Kyoto1032221
Mie9621
Miyagi9621
Miyazaki651
Nagano137411
Nagasaki95211
Nara52111
Niigata15852
Ōita7511
Okayama106211
Okinawa52111
Osaka26736361
Saga541
Saitama1593111
Shiga52111
Shimane532
Shizuoka14811211
Tochigi10631
Tokushima541
Tokyo4315762751
Tottori422
Toyama651
Wakayama63111
Yamagata8521
Yamaguchi9621
Yamanashi541
Total51128410733322912311

References

[edit]
  • Mahendra Prakash (2004), Coalition Experience in Japanese Politics: 1993-2003, New Delhi: JNU[1].

    1980 Japanese general election

    22 June 1980

    All 511 seats in the House of Representatives
    256 seats needed for a majority
    Turnout74.57% (Increase6.56%)
     First partySecond partyThird party
     
    LeaderEiichi Nishimura (acting)Ichio AsukataYoshikatsu Takeiri
    PartyLDPSocialistKōmeitō
    Last election44.59%, 248 seats19.71%, 107 seats9.78%, 57 seats
    Seats won28410733
    Seat changeIncrease36SteadyDecrease24
    Popular vote28,262,44111,400,7485,329,942
    Percentage47.88%19.31%9.03%
    SwingIncrease3.29ppDecrease0.40ppDecrease0.74pp

     Fourth partyFifth partySixth party
     
    LeaderSasaki Ryōsaku [ja]Kenji MiyamotoYōhei Kōno
    PartyDemocratic SocialistJCPNew Liberal Club
    Last election6.78%, 35 seats10.42%, 39 seats3.02%, 4 seats
    Seats won322912
    Seat changeDecrease4Decrease10Increase8
    Popular vote3,896,7285,803,6131,766,396
    Percentage6.60%9.83%2.99%
    SwingDecrease0.18ppDecrease0.59ppDecrease0.03pp


    Prime Minister before election

    Masayoshi Ito (acting)
    LDP

    Elected Prime Minister

    Zenkō Suzuki
    LDP

    General elections were held in Japan on 22 June 1980. The incumbent Liberal Democratic Party won an overall majority for the first time since 1972.

    Campaign

    Vote of no confidence in the Ohira cabinet

    The election was triggered following a vote of no confidence brought by the Japan Socialist Party (JSP) on 16 May 1980 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 LDP 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, leading to the fall of the government.

    For the first time, the election for the House of Representatives was held in conjunction with the election for the House of Councillors on the same day.

    Death of the Prime Minister

    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. 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 became acting prime minister after Ōhira's 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

    PartyVotes%Seats+/–
    Liberal Democratic Party28,262,44247.88284+36
    Japan Socialist Party11,400,74819.311070
    Japanese Communist Party5,803,6139.8329−10
    Kōmeitō5,329,9429.0333−24
    Democratic Socialist Party3,896,7286.6032−4
    New Liberal Club1,766,3962.9912+8
    Socialist Democratic Federation402,8320.683+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
    Seats won per district

    By prefecture

    PrefectureTotal
    seats
    Seats won
    LDPJSPKōmeitōDSPJCPNLCSDFInd.
    Aichi221122412
    Akita853
    Aomori7511
    Chiba1611221
    Ehime963
    Fukui431
    Fukuoka19923221
    Fukushima12921
    Gifu9621
    Gunma1073
    Hiroshima127311
    Hokkaido2211911
    Hyōgo2096221
    Ibaraki1293
    Ishikawa651
    Iwate862
    Kagawa642
    Kagoshima1192
    Kanagawa19553213
    Kōchi52111
    Kumamoto10721
    Kyoto1032221
    Mie9621
    Miyagi9621
    Miyazaki651
    Nagano137411
    Nagasaki95211
    Nara52111
    Niigata15852
    Ōita7511
    Okayama106211
    Okinawa52111
    Osaka26736361
    Saga541
    Saitama1593111
    Shiga52111
    Shimane532
    Shizuoka14811211
    Tochigi10631
    Tokushima541
    Tokyo4315762751
    Tottori422
    Toyama651
    Wakayama63111
    Yamagata8521
    Yamaguchi9621
    Yamanashi541
    Total51128410733322912311

    References

    • Mahendra Prakash (2004), Coalition Experience in Japanese Politics: 1993-2003, New Delhi: JNU[1].
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