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.
| 20th Japan Record Awards | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date | December 31, 1978 |
| Venue | Imperial Garden Theater, Tokyo |
| Hosted by | Keizo Takahashi, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Hiroshi Kume |
| Television/radio coverage | |
| Network | TBS |
Winners edit
Japan Record Award edit
- Lyrics: Yū Aku
- Music and arrangement: Shunichi Tokura
- Record Company: JVC Victor
Best Vocalist edit
Best New Artist edit
- Machiko Watanabe
Gold Award edit
- 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 edit
- 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) edit
- Mayo Shōno – "Tonde Istanbul" / Rie Nakahara – "Tokyo Lullaby"
- Composer: Kyōhei Tsutsumi
Arrangement Award edit
- Circus – "Mr. Summertime"
- Arrangement: Norio Maeda
Yaso Saijō Award (Lyrics Award) edit
- Tokiko Kato – "Kono Sora wo Tobetara" / Junko Sakurada – "Shiawase Shibai"
- Lyrics: Miyuki Nakajima
Special Award edit
- Noriko Awaya
- Masato Fujita
- Teichiku Records