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.[1] 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.