House of Councillors elections were held in
Japan on 2 June 1959,[1] electing half the seats in the House. The
Liberal Democratic Party won the most seats.
Kōji Harashima, who later become a founding member and the first chairman of
Kōmeitō, was elected to the Diet for the first time as one of several
Soka Gakkai-affiliated independents.
During the campaign, Prime Minister
Nobusuke Kishi and
MITI began to discuss the now-famous "income doubling" plan, although it was temporarily shelved due to disputes between party factions and the looming importance of the
US–Japan Security Treaty revision issue. The plan would not be revived until the tenure of
Hayato Ikeda, beginning in 1960.[2]