The was the 2019 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), and 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

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 only) and

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 in the

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 ...

. The WHITE TEAM won this event.

Events leading up to Broadcast

This is the last year using the theme , which remained unchanged since the 67th edition (2016), 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 ...

. First details about this year's event were revealed on October 3. The event ran from 19:15 to 23:45 JST, with a 5-minute break for the latest news. NHK chairman Ryoichi Ueda declared: "First in Reiwa Period, 70th overall. I hope that the 70th Kōhaku Uta Gassen will remain in the hearts of many people, worthly of commemorative event". On October 18, actress

Haruka Ayase better known by the stage name , is a Japanese actress who started her career as a model in the year 2000. She has since become a leading actress in television and film. Career 2000–2004: Early career Ayase was invited by a friend to parti ...

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 ...

member

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 ...

were announced as captains from Red and White Team.

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 ...

served as mediator for the third time in a row. On November 11,

Hinatazaka46 is a Japanese idol group produced by Yasushi Akimoto. The group was established as a subgroup of Sakurazaka46, Keyakizaka46 named Hiragana Keyakizaka46 on 30 November 2015, and was renamed and spun off into its own group on 11 February 2019. ...

is announced as the first artist confirmed for this edition. The full lineup was revealed on November 14. Eight artists debuted in this edition:

Official Hige Dandism , commonly abbreviated , is a pop rock band formed in Shimane, Japan in 2012. After signing a record deal with the major label Pony Canyon in 2018, Official Hige Dandism released the debut single ''No Doubt'', the lead single from the extended p ...

Generations from Exile Tribe Generations from Exile Tribe (Japanese: ジェネレーションズ・フロム・エグザイル・トライブ, stylized as GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE and formerly known as Generations) is a six-member Japanese dance and vocal group formed ...

Masaki Suda , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor and singer. He won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for the film ''Wilderness''. Personal life Suda was born in Minoh, Osaka Prefecture. Hi ...

King Gnu King Gnu is a Japanese band formed in 2013. It consists of Daiki Tsuneta (vocalist and guitarist), Satoru Iguchi (vocalist and keyboardist), Kazuki Arai (bassist) and Yu Seki (drummer). The band's main songwriter is Daiki Tsuneta, who also perfo ...

Kis-My-Ft2 is a six-member Japanese boy band under Starto Entertainment. They are known for their performances on roller skates. The group is named after one letter of each member's initials and after "the anecdote that tap dancer Gregory Hines kissed t ...

, Foorin,

and the anisong singer

LiSA Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA" * Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978) * Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980) * Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...

Hibari Misora was a Japanese singer, actress and cultural icon. She received a Medal of Honor for her contributions to music and for improving the welfare of the public, and was the first woman to receive the People's Honour Award, which was conferred posth ...

was revived using AI technology to perform a brand new song, "Arekara", written by

Yasushi Akimoto is a Japanese record producer, lyricist, and television writer, best known for creating and producing some of Japan's top idol groups, Onyanko Club and the AKB48 franchise. Total sales of the singles he has written exceed 100 million copies, ma ...

, most notably for producing idol groups such as

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 ...

. On November 22,

Mariya Takeuchi is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and record producer. With over 16 million records sold, Takeuchi is one of the List of best-selling music artists in Japan#10 million to 19 million records, best-selling music artists in Japan and is deemed th ...

was announced as a performer to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her career and perform "Inochi no Uta". On November 25,

Radwimps is a Japanese rock band who debuted independently in 2003 and signed with Toshiba EMI in 2005. The band's name, Radwimps, was formed from two English slang terms, " rad" and "wimp". According to the band, the coined word had several meanings, ...

was announced as a performer due to great success of the animated feature '' Tenki no Ko''. On November 27, the ''Kōhaku Uratalk Channel'' were announced. On December 18, the judges were announced with the voting system from last year still unchanged. On December 20, the full song list was revealed. The performance order was revealed on December 27, with Foorin opening the show and Arashi serving as "Ootori". Rehearsals for the performances began on December 29.

Personnel

Presenters

* Red Team:

* White Team:

* Moderators:

Mayuko Wakuda is a Japanese announcer and news anchor for NHK. Wakuda previously is one of the anchors hosting NHK General TV's primetime news program ''News Watch 9''. Early years Wakuda was born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. At age two, she moved with her ...

Other program staff * Kōhaku Uratalk Channel: Ryota Yamasato, Yuki Sugiura,

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 ...

Judges

Naoya Inoue is a Japanese professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in four weight classes, and is one of only three male boxers in history (along with Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk) to become the undisputed champion in two weigh ...

* Emiko Kaminuma * Sandwichman *

Hinako Shibuno is a Japanese professional golfer who won the 2019 Women's British Open. Early years Shibuno was born in Okayama, Japan on 15 November 1998. Her father was a discus thrower and her mother was a javelin thrower. She is the middle child of the ...

Daiya Seto is a Japanese professional swimmer who specializes in individual medley, butterfly, breaststroke, and freestyle events. He holds the world record in the short course 400-metre individual medley and formerly held the world record in the short ...

Kei Tanaka is a Japanese actor. Personal life On August 31, 2011, Tanaka married former actress Sakura, his co-star in the television drama ''Massugu na Otoko.'' Their agencies also announced that the two were expecting their first child, as Sakura was alr ...

Erika Toda is a Japanese actress. Career Toda has starred in many Japanese television dramas, including '' Liar Game'', '' Code Blue'', '' Ryusei no Kizuna'', and ''Keizoku 2: SPEC''. She has also had supporting roles in many other popular TV dramas, suc ...

* Maya Nakanishi *

Hiroki Hasegawa , nicknamed , (born March 7, 1977, in Tokyo) is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. Trained as a stage actor at the Bungaku-za after graduating from Chuo University, he first began to appear on Japanese TV in small roles in 2008, and t ...

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 ...

Akira Yoshino is a Japanese chemist. He is a fellow of Asahi Kasei, Asahi Kasei Corporation and a professor at Meijo University in Nagoya. He created the first safe, production-viable lithium-ion battery, which became used widely in cellular phones and noteb ...

Guests

* Oshiri Tantei * Magus * DJ Koo *

Akira Ishida is a Japanese actor who specializes in voice acting. For his portrayal of Saki Abdusha in '' Sakura Wars'', and Athrun Zala in '' Mobile Suit Gundam SEED'', '' Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny'' and '' Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom'' and M ...

* Tōko Miura *

Shunichi Tokura , is a Japanese composer and was the chair of the Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers (JASRAC) from 12 August 2010 to 31 March 2016. In April 2021, he was appointed commissioner for Cultural Affairs of Japan. Early l ...

* Mizuki Nakamoto * Diamond Yukai *

Tomoya Nakamura is a Japanese actor. Career Nakamura made his debut in the film '' The Innocent Seven'' in 2005. Personal life On March 25, 2023, Nakamura married Nippon TV JOAX-DTV (channel 4), branded as (NTV) or Nippon TV, is a Japanese televisio ...

Haruka Kinoshita Haruka may refer to: People * Haruka (given name), a Japanese given name * Haruka (model) (born 1975), Japanese fashion model Music * Haruka (Melody song), "Haruka" (Melody song) * Haruka (Scandal song), "Haruka" (Scandal song) * Haruka (Tokio so ...

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

* AKB48 Group World Selections:

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 ...

CGM48 CGM48 (read ''C.G.M. Forty-eight'') is a Thai Teen idol, idol girl group. It is the first domestic sister group of the Thai idol group BNK48, and the eighth international AKB48 Group, sister group of AKB48, after Indonesia's JKT48, China's SNH48 ...

SGO48 SGO48 (read ''S.G.O. Forty-Eight'') was a Vietnamese idol girl group based in Saigon, officially known as Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. They were the seventh international sister group of AKB48, after Indonesia's JKT48, China's SNH48 (''former''), � ...

JKT48 JKT48 ( pronounced J- K- T- 4 8 ) is Indonesia’s premier girl group, established in 2011 as the first international sister group of Japan’s AKB48. Based in Jakarta, which is the capital and largest city of Indonesia, located on the northw ...

DEL48 DEL48 (read D.E.L. Forty-Eight) was an Indian idol group whose name is derived from its based city in New Delhi, India. They are the ninth international sister group of AKB48, after Indonesia's JKT48, China's SNH48 (''former''), Thailand's ...

MNL48 MNL48 (read as ''M.N.L. Forty-eight'') is a Filipino idol girl group based in Manila, Philippines, and formed in 2018, they are the fourth international sister group of AKB48, after Indonesia's JKT48, China's SNH48 (''former''), and Thailand' ...

, Team SH & Team TP * Shinya Kiyozuka * Matt * Mayu Kishima *

Shinji Takeda , born December 18, 1972, is a Japanese actor, talent and saxophone player. He has had notable roles in such works as '' The Incite Mill'', '' Kyō Kara Hitman'' and '' Tokyo Eyes''. Filmography Television drama Other television Film Dubbi ...

* Takashi Okamura * Chico-chan * Chocolate Planet *

Kosuke Kitajima is a Japanese retired breaststroke swimmer. He won gold medals at the men's 100 m and 200 m breaststroke events at the 2004 Summer Olympics, and the 2008 Summer Olympics – becoming the first and only swimmer to sweep the breaststroke events at ...

Masako Nozawa is a Japanese actress. Beginning work as a child actress at the age of three, by the time she became an adult, voice acting had inadvertently become her main occupation. Throughout her career, Nozawa has been affiliated with Production Baobab ...

Additional crew *

Yamaha Corporation is a Japanese multinational musical instrument and audio equipment manufacturer. It is one of the constituents of Nikkei 225 and is the world's largest musical instrument manufacturing company. The former motorcycle division was establishe ...

* Tsunaki Mihara & The New Breed

Artist lineup

; Performers ;Special Performances: *

– "Inochi no Uta" *

Yumi Matsutoya , nicknamed , is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and pianist. Generally the writer of both the lyrics and the music in her songs, she is renowned for her idiosyncratic voice and live performances, and is one of the most prominent figures ...

– "No Side" * Beat Takeshi – "Asakusa Kid" ;Songs Performed on Medleys * Masaharu Fukuyama: "

Hello Hello is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the '' Norwich Cou ...

", " Niji", "Zero" * Twice: " TT -Japanese ver.-", "

Fancy Fancy may refer to: Music Albums * ''Fancy'' (Bobbie Gentry album), 1970 * ''Fancy'' (Idiot Flesh album), 1997 * ''Fancy'' (video), a 2007 video album by Les Claypool Songs * "Fancy" (Bobbie Gentry song), 1969, covered by Reba McEntire in 19 ...

-Japanese ver.-" * Da Pump: "P.A.R.T.Y. ~Universe Festival~", " U.S.A." * King & Prince: "Cinderella Girl", "Koi-Wazurai" * Kanjani Eight: " Zukkoke Otoko Michi", "Maemuki Scream" * Perfume: "Fusion", "

Polyrhythm Polyrhythm () is the simultaneous use of two or more rhythms that are not readily perceived as deriving from one another, or as simple manifestations of the same meter. The rhythmic layers may be the basis of an entire piece of music (cross-rh ...

" * Radwimps: "Grand Escape", "Daijoubu" * Yuzu: "Eikō no Kakehashi", "Seimei" * Kiyoshi Hikawa: "Daijōbu", "Genkai Toppa x Survivor" * Seiko Matsuda: "Jikan no Kuni no Alice", "Rock'n Rouge", "Cherry Blossom", "Natsu no Tobira" * Misia: "Ai no Katachi", "Into the Light", "

Everything Everything, every-thing, or every thing, is all that exists; it is an antithesis of ''nothing'', or its complement. It is the totality of things relevant to some subject matter. Without expressed or implied limits, it may refer to . The uni ...

" * Arashi: "

", " Turning Up" ;Special performances *

– "

Kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have ...

" *

– "Arekara" * Yoshikiss – "

Rock and Roll All Nite "Rock and Roll All Nite" is a song by American rock band Kiss, released in 1975 as the first single from their third studio album '' Dressed to Kill''. The studio version of the song peaked at No. 68 on the ''Billboard'' singles chart, besting ...

" ;Disney Section – performers * Mizuki Nakamoto – " Into the Unknown ~Kokoro no Mama ni~" * Diamond Yukai – "Kimi wa Tomodachi (

You've Got a Friend in Me "You've Got a Friend in Me" is a song by Randy Newman. Used as the main theme music, theme song for the 1995 Pixar, Disney/Pixar animated film ''Toy Story'', it has since become a major musical component for its sequels, ''Toy Story 2'' (1999), ...

)" *

& Haruka Kinoshita – "

A Whole New World "A Whole New World" is the signature song from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disney's 1992 animated feature film Aladdin (1992 Disney film), ''Aladdin'', with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. A duet originally recorded by singers B ...

" ;Not returning this year * Red Team:

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, ...

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 ...

Kana Nishino is a Japanese Pop music, pop singer signed with Sony Music Entertainment Japan, SME Records' Newcome Inc. She debuted on February 20, 2008, with the single "I". Considered one of Japan's most popular songstresses of the late 2000s and 2010s, s ...

, Yoshiki ft

Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer and actress. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, she made ...

* White Team:

Exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

, Suchmos,

Sandaime J Soul Brothers , formerly simply J Soul Brothers and also known as Sandaime J Soul Brothers from Exile Tribe, are a J-pop vocal and dance group formed by Exile ex-leader and producer Hiroyuki Igarashi in Japan in 1991. Sandaime J Soul Brothers are managed by H ...

Sekai no Owari Sekai no Owari (literally translated, "End of the World"; stylized in all caps) is a Japanese Pop music, pop band from Tokyo. The band was formed in 2005 and has four members: Nakajin, Fukase, Saori, and DJ Love. Since their debut, they have ...

Sexy Zone Timelesz (stylized as timelesz, formerly known as Sexy Zone) is an eight-member Japanese boy band managed by Starto Entertainment (formerly of Johnny & Associates). As Sexy Zone, the group consisting of Shori Sato, Kento Nakajima, Marius Yo, F ...

, Yoshiki ft Hyde,

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 ...

Voting system and results

The current voting system, implemented in the 69th edition (2018) was unchanged. As it was last year, the winner was 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 was carried after all artists performed. The team that gets 2 or more votes were declared winner of the 70th Kōhaku.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:70th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen events 2019 in Japanese music 2019 in Japanese television