[2] The main national policy issue at the time was the possibility of reverting Okinawa, which had been under American military occupation since the end of World War II, back over to Japanese control.

Nonetheless, as is characteristic of Japanese elections, voters were more interested in pocket book issues, or "livelihood problems" (kurashi mondai), over pressing national and foreign policy questions.

In any event, the actual popular vote of the LDP had been continuously sliding down since its formation, and the LDP's increase in seats was more attributable to its competent endorsement of only a limited number of local seat candidates when compared to the Japan Socialist Party, which ran too many candidates and thus split votes at a disastrous rate.

[3][4] Future prime minister Tsutomu Hata was drafted to run in the election following his father's death, and won a seat for the first time.

[5] Future prime minister Junichiro Koizumi also attempted to win his late father's seat in the election, but lost.