20th Japan Record Awards

The 20th Annual Japan Record Awards took place at the Imperial Garden Theater in Chiyoda, Tokyo, on December 31, 1978, starting at 7:00PM JST. The primary ceremonies were televised in Japan on TBS.

Japan Record Award

 * Pink Lady – "UFO"
 * Lyrics: Yū Aku
 * Music and arrangement: Shunichi Tokura
 * Record Company: JVC Victor

Best Vocalist

 * Kenji Sawada

Best New Artist

 * Machiko Watanabe

Gold Award

 * Naoko Ken – "Kamome wa Kamome"
 * Goro Noguchi – "Good Luck"
 * Junko Sakurada – "Shiawase Shibai"
 * Hiromi Iwasaki – "Cinderella Honeymoon"
 * Junko Ohashi – "Tasogare My Love"
 * Aki Yashiro – "Kokyō e..."
 * Hideki Saijo – "Blue Sky Blue"
 * Momoe Yamaguchi – "Playback Part 2"
 * Pink Lady – "UFO"
 * Kenji Sawada – "Love (Dakishimetai)"

Newcomer Award

 * Mako Ishino – "Shitsuren Kinenbi"
 * Muneyuki Satō – "Aoba Jōkoi Uta"
 * Teppei Shibuya – "Deep"
 * Rie Nakahara – "Kamome ga Tonda hi"
 * Masanori Sera & Twist – "Hikigane" (Declined)

Shinpei Nakayama Award (Composition Award)

 * Mayo Shōno – "Tonde Istanbul" / Rie Nakahara – "Tokyo Lullaby"
 * Composer: Kyōhei Tsutsumi

Arrangement Award

 * Circus – "Mr. Summertime"
 * Arrangement: Norio Maeda

Yaso Saijō Award (Lyrics Award)

 * Tokiko Kato – "Kono Sora wo Tobetara" / Junko Sakurada – "Shiawase Shibai"
 * Lyrics: Miyuki Nakajima

Special Award

 * Noriko Awaya
 * Masato Fujita
 * Teichiku Records