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. Winners 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 External links Official Website Japan Record Awards Japan Record Awards Japan Record Awards Japan Record Awards 1978