The Japan Population Census 1980 covered topics of education, employment, household size, housing conditions, and transportation. As of October 1, 1980, the total population of Japan was 117,060,396. Large-scale censuses (like the 1980 census) are conducted every ten years in Japan, and simplified censuses occur every 5 years after a large-scale census.

The report includes tabulations from a twenty percent sample on several subjects, including occupations, industry, socioeconomic groups, sources of income, and migration.