The was the 2018 edition of

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

's television special

Kōhaku Uta Gassen , more commonly known simply as ''Kōhaku'', is an annual New Year's Eve television special produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. It is broadcast live simultaneously on television and radio, nationally and internationally by the NHK net ...

, held on December 31 live from

NHK Hall The NHK Hall is a concert hall located at the NHK Broadcasting Center, the main headquarters of Japan's Public broadcasting, public broadcaster NHK. The hall is the main venue for the NHK Symphony Orchestra, but it has also played host to other e ...

(Tokyo, Japan). It was broadcast in Japan through

NHK General Television , abbreviated on-screen as NHK G, is the main television service of NHK, the Japanese public broadcaster. Its programming includes news, drama, quiz/variety shows, music, sports, anime, and specials which compete directly with the output of its co ...

and NHK Radio 1, and worldwide through

NHK World Premium NHK World Premium is a TV news and entertainment broadcasting service offered by NHK World-Japan, the international arm of Japan's public broadcaster NHK. The service is aimed towards Japanese Diaspora and the overseas market, similar to worldwi ...

. This is the first edition that was broadcast in NHK BS4K and BS8K, and the final edition in the

Heisei Period The was the Japanese era name, period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his 2019 Japanese imperial transition, abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the ...

. Comedian

Teruyoshi Uchimura , half of the Japanese Owarai, comedy duo Utchan Nanchan, is one of the most famous and influential comedians in the owarai community. His nickname is ''Utchan'' ("Wutchan"), and his partner, Kiyotaka Nanbara, is known as ''Nanchan''. He was born ...

and NHK announcer

Maho Kuwako is an announcer and news anchor at NHK, Japan's public broadcaster. She currently anchors NHK's ''Close-up Gendai'' current affairs program. Kuwako was born, raised, and educated in Kawasaki, Japan, and graduated from the School of Language a ...

hosted for the second time.

Suzu Hirose is a Japanese actress and model. Biography Hirose debuted as a model for Japanese fashion magazine '' Seventeen'', alongside her sister Alice. She gained fame when she starred with a group of actresses as the eponymous sister in the award-winn ...

and

Sho Sakurai (born January 25, 1982) is a Japanese singer, songwriter, rapper, actor, news anchor, host and former radio host. He is a member of the boy band Arashi. Sakurai began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent a ...

hosted for the first time. The white team won the event.

The final Heisei Kōhaku

This is the 30th and last edition of the program in the

, due to the abdication of Emperor

Akihito Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...

, scheduled for

April 30 Events Pre-1600 * 311 – The Diocletianic Persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire ends. * 1315 – Enguerrand de Marigny is hanged at the instigation of Charles, Count of Valois. *1492 – Spain gives Christopher Columbus ...

, 2019. The Kōhaku has already undergone a transition of periods. The 39th edition (last of the Showa Period) was held a week before

Hirohito , Posthumous name, posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigni ...

's death, and the 40th edition was the first ever in Heisei. The show will go through a new era transition in 2019, with the 70th edition being the first to be held in

Reiwa period is the current and 232nd era of the official calendar of Japan. It began on 1 May 2019, the day on which Emperor Akihito's eldest son, Naruhito, ascended the throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. The day before, Emperor Akihito abdicated ...

Events leading up to broadcast

This year's theme, remains unchanged until the 70th edition (2019), in support of the upcoming

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

and

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inte ...

. The broadcast time was announced by NHK on October 5, 2018. It will be broadcast on December 31, starting from 19:15 JST and ending at 23:45 JST, with a 5-minute break for the latest news. In Japan, the broadcast will take place through

, NHK BS4K, NHK BS8K, and NHK Radio 1, and worldwide through

and

TV Japan TV Japan (テレビジャパン) was a 24-hour Japanese-language television channel geared towards the Japanese diaspora in the United States and Canada. It was the North American carrier of the NHK World Premium service. The channel was owne ...

(US). On November 9, 2018, it was announced that

and

would return as mediators for the second consecutive year. Uchimura expressed that he was surprised to be selected to MC the show again, and commented, "I want to aim for a Kōhaku that will remain in people's memories".

and

Arashi is a Japanese boy band consisting of five members formed under the Johnny & Associates talent agency. The members are Satoshi Ohno, Sho Sakurai, Masaki Aiba, Kazunari Ninomiya, and Jun Matsumoto. Arashi officially formed on September 15, 199 ...

were announced as the Red and White team leaders. Hirose expressed that she felt some pressure and responsibility, commenting, "I'm feeling the same pressure and responsibility as when I was chosen to be the heroine of the 100th

Asadora , colloquially known as , is a serialized, 15 minutes per episode, Japanese television drama program series broadcast in the mornings by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The first such series aired in 1961 with the black-and-white , starring Ta ...

... I will do my best". In recent years, members of Arashi have served as the White team leader (

Masaki Aiba (born December 24, 1982) is a Japanese singer, actor, television personality, radio host and dancer. He is a member of the boy band Arashi. Aiba began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & ...

and

Kazunari Ninomiya , often called , is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actor, voice actor, presenter and radio host. He is a member of the Japanese idol group Arashi, group that is under agent contract with Starto Entertainment. Early life Ninomiya was born in Kat ...

for the 67th and 68th editions respectively). Sakurai has previously hosted as part of Arashi (61st through 65th editions). This will be his first time hosting alone. Sakurai expressed that it was an honor to be asked to host Kōhaku, commenting, "This important role is more than I deserve. I will work to my utmost so that the final Heisei Kōhaku will be remembered in the hearts of a wide variety of people". On November 14, 2018, NHK released the full list of performers and a press conference announcing the participants took place.

Ringo Sheena , known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer, songwriter and musician. She is also the founder and lead vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen. She describes herself as "". She was ranked number 36 in a list of Japan's top 100 musicians compiled ...

and Hiroji Miyamoto were announced as special performers.

Aqours is a Japanese multimedia project co-developed by ASCII Media Works' ''Dengeki G's Magazine'', music label Lantis, and animation studio Sunrise. The project is the second series of the ''Love Live!'' franchise and is a spin-off sequel of ' ...

and Touken Danshi will appear in a special segment that focuses on the popularity of Japanese culture around the world. Newcomers include Suchmos,

Aimyon is a Japanese singer and songwriter. Her agency is ENS Entertainment, and her label is Unborde under Warner Music Japan. Career Aimyon was influenced to become a singer-songwriter, because her grandmother aspired to be a singer or actress, ...

King & Prince King & Prince is a two-member Japanese idol group under Starto Entertainment (formerly of Johnny & Associates) that debuted in 2018. Their debut was announced at a press conference on 17 January 2018 along with the establishment of Johnny & Ass ...

Daoko is a Japanese singer and rapper born in Tokyo. Her career began when one of her videos uploaded to Nico Nico Douga in 2012, when she was 15, received attention. Career The name Daoko (ダヲコ) was originally her web nickname. Her first tour ...

, Junretsu ( ja), and Yoshiki feat. Hyde. On December 4, 2018, Saburo Kitajima was announced to appear on a special segment, due to popular demand. Kitajima announced his retirement from Kōhaku in 2013, after taking part in the show for a record 50 performances. On December 12, 2018,

Southern All Stars , also known by the abbreviations and SAS, are a Japanese rock band formed in Kanagawa in 1974. The band is composed of Keisuke Kuwata (lead vocals and guitars), Yuko Hara (vocals and keyboards), Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (bass), (drums) and (pe ...

was announced to appear as a special performer. On December 16, 2018, NHK announced that Thai girl group

BNK48 BNK48 (read ''B.N.K. Forty-eight'') is a Thai Teen idol, idol Musical ensemble, girl group and the third international sister group of Japan's AKB48, following Indonesia's JKT48 and China's SNH48 (''Former''). After holding its first audition i ...

would be performing with

AKB48 AKB48 (pronounced ''A.K.B. Forty-Eight'') is a Japanese idol musical girl group named after the Akihabara area in Tokyo, where the group's theater is located. AKB48 has sold more records than any other female musical act in Japanese history. AK ...

. This year also marks the last time

Rino Sashihara is a Japanese tarento, singer, producer and actress. She is best known as a former member of idol groups HKT48, AKB48 and STU48, and was the theater manager for HKT48 and STU48. She was also a member of AKB48's unit Not Yet and is the produc ...

would perform with the group, as she announced her graduation a few months prior. On December 26,

Kenshi Yonezu is a Japanese singer-songwriter and illustrator. He started releasing Vocaloid music under the stage name in 2009. In 2012, he debuted under his real name, releasing music with his own voice. He has sold at least 4.2 million physical copies and ...

was confirmed to perform with the white team. He originally declined his invitation to Kōhaku but later accepted after NHK proposed he perform via live feed from

Tokushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Shikoku. Tokushima Prefecture has a population of 682,439 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 4,146 Square kilometre, km2 (1,601 sq mi). Tokushima Prefecture b ...

. On December 19, 2018, NHK announced the guest judges and new voting system. On December 21, it was announced that Bananaman ( ja),

Naomi Watanabe is a Japanese comedian, actress, and fashion designer. She rose to fame in 2008 for her imitation of Beyoncé, after which she was given the title "the Japanese Beyoncé". Career Watanabe does impersonations of popular artists in Japanese cultu ...

, and Moeka Amamiya ( ja) would lead the Kōhaku Ura Talk Channel. The song list was also released on December 21. The performance order was announced on December 27. Rehearsals began on December 29.

Presenters and performers

; Presenters * Mediators:

and

* Red team leader:

* White team leader:

(

) ; Performers ;SONGS FEATURED ON OPENING MOVIE * "Odoru Pompokorin" by B.B.Queens (1990) * "Donna Toki mo" by Noriyuki Makihara (1991) * "Kurenai" by X Japan (1992) * "Boy Meets Girl" by TRF (1994) * "Brother" by Kenji Ozawa (1995) * "Sobakasu" by Judy and Mary (1996) * "Love Machine" by Morning Musume (1999) * "

Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana is a song recorded by Japanese boy band SMAP. The Noriyuki Makihara composed song was released as a single in 2003 and sold more than 2.57 million copies, becoming the third best-selling single in Japan in Oricon history. Along with Hikaru Utad ...

" by

SMAP was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-p ...

(2003) * "Kiyoshi no Zundokubushi" by Kiyoshi Hikawa (2008) * "Love So Sweet" by Arashi (2009) * "Rising Sun" by Exile (2011) * "Koisuru Fortune Cookie" by AKB48 (2013) * "Nippon" by Ringo Shiina (2014) * "Senbonzakura" by Sachiko Kobayashi (2015) (with cameo appearance of

Hatsune Miku , officially code-named CV01, is a Vocaloid software voicebank developed by Crypton Future Media. Its official mascot is depicted as a sixteen-year-old girl with long, turquoise twintails. Miku's personification has been marketed as a virt ...

) * "Koi" by Gen Hoshino (2016) * "Zen Zen Zense" by Radwimps (2016) * "Wakai Hiroba" by Keisuke Kuwata (2017) ;SONGS PERFORMED DURING MEDLEYS * Masaharu Fukuyama: "Zero", "Koshien" * Perfume: "Future Pop", "Electro World" * Twice: "I Want You Back" (Jackson 5 cover), "BDZ" * Exile: "Rising Sun", "Heads or Tails" * Seiko Matsuda: "Kazeta Sane", "Heart no Earring", "Tengoku no Kiss", "Nagisa no Balcony" * Yumi Matsutoya: "Hikoukigumo", "Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta Nara" * Misia: "Ai no Katachi", "Tsutsumikomu Yō ni..." * Arashi: "Kimi no Uta", "Happiness"

Voting system and results

For this year, the voting system was changed. The winner of the 69th edition will be determined within 3 points. * Viewers: 1 point for the team who get more votes through 1-Seg. * Audience: 1 point for the team who get more votes through the NHK Hall audience. * Judges: 1 point for the team who gets 6 or more votes from 11 judges. Voting will be carried after all artists performed. The team who gets 2 or more votes will be declared winner of the 69th Kōhaku.

Guest judges

The guest judges were announced on December 19, 2018. They were selected for their popularity in various fields of entertainment. The judges are:

Sadao Abe is a Japanese actor, stage actor and musician from Matsudo, Chiba Prefecture. He started his acting career after joining a theater company/talent agency, Otona Keikaku, in around 1992 and gained his popularity after the drama series ''Team Medi ...

Sakura Ando is a Japanese actress. She is best known for appearing in critically-acclaimed films such as Sion Sono's ''Love Exposure'', Hirokazu Kore-eda's ''Shoplifters'' (2018) and ''Monster'' (2023), as well as Takashi Yamazaki's Academy Award–winni ...

Rikako Ikee is a Japanese competitive swimmer. She is the national record holder in the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter butterfly, and the junior world record holder in the 50-meter freestyle and 50-meter butterfly long-course events, and the 50- and ...

, Nao Kodaira, Takeru Sato,

Tetsurō Degawa is a Japanese people, Japanese comedian. Character Representative of the so-called "reaction entertainers," he is known for his thick voice. His favorite phrase is "Yabaiyo, yabaiyo!" (やばいよやばいよ!, It's dangerous, dangerous!), w ...

Mei Nagano , is a Japanese actress. Amongst her film and television credits are Rinko in the film '' My Love Story!'', Suzume Yosano in the film '' Daytime Shooting Star'', and Suzume Nireno in the 98th NHK asadora ''Hanbun, Aoi''. Early life and career Mei ...

, Nakamura Kankurō VI, Itsuki Natsui ( ja),

Mansai Nomura Nomura Mansai II (二世野村萬斎, ''Nisei Nomura Mansai''; born Takeshi Nomura (野村武司); April 5, 1966) is a Japanese ''kyōgen'' and film actor. He played Abe no Seimei in '' Onmyoji'' and '' Onmyoji 2'', an original work by Baku Y ...

, and

Makoto Hasebe is a Japanese professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder. He is currently the assistant coach of Japan national team. Hasebe started his professional playing career with Urawa Red Diamon ...

. Sadao Abe and Nakamura Kankurō VI are the lead actors for the upcoming NHK

taiga drama is the name NHK gives to the annual year-long historical drama television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white ''Hana no Shōgai'', starring kabuki actor Onoe Shoroku II and Awashima Chikage, the network regul ...

Idaten Skanda (), also known as Weituo () and Idaten (Japanese: 韋駄天), is a Mahayana bodhisattva regarded as a devoted guardian of Buddhist monasteries who protects the teachings of Buddhism. He is also sometimes called in the Chinese tradition " ...

'' (2019). Mei Nagano and Takeru Sato were the leads for the 2018 NHK

asadora , colloquially known as , is a serialized, 15 minutes per episode, Japanese television drama program series broadcast in the mornings by Japanese public broadcaster NHK. The first such series aired in 1961 with the black-and-white , starring Ta ...

Hanbun, Aoi is a Japanese television drama series and the 98th Asadora series, following ''Warotenka''. It premiered on April 2, 2018, and concluded on September 29, 2018. Mei Nagano was cast in the lead role of Suzume Nireno after an audition of 2366 wome ...

'', and Sakura Ando is the lead actress for the currently airing asadora ''

Manpuku , sometimes romanized as ''Mampuku'', is a Japanese television drama series and the 99th Asadora series, following '' Hanbun, Aoi''. It premiered on 1 October 2018, and concluded on 30 March 2019. The series is based on the lives of Momofuku And ...

''. Speed skater Nao Kodaira won one gold and one silver medal at the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

, a swimmer, won six gold medals at the

2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games (), and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018 or Indonesia 2018, were a Asia, continental multi-sport event that was held from 18 August to 2 September 201 ...

and was named the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

(MVP) of the competition.

, the captain of the Japan National Football Team, announced his retirement after the

2018 FIFA World Cup The 2018 FIFA World Cup was the 21st FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for national association football, football teams organized by FIFA. It took place in Russia from 14 June to 15 July 2018, after the country was awarded t ...

, comedian, will begin hosting a new program on NHK in 2019. Actor and essayist Itsuki Natsui won the 44th Hoso Bunka Foundation Award, and

, a kyōgen actor, is the chief executive creative director for the

and

Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...

opening and closing ceremonies.

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:69th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen events 2018 in Japanese music 2018 in Japanese television