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Kōhaku Song Contest Reveals 2023 Lineup With No Former Johnny's Artists for the 1st Time in 44 Years

posted on by Joanna Cayanan
Ado, singing voice of Uta from One Piece Film Red, debuts on the program as herself

NHK revealed the lineup for the 74th Kōhaku Uta Gassen ("Red and White Song Contest"), Japan's most-watched music television program, on Monday. This year's show goes for a different first, as no former Johnny's (now Smile Up) artists will perform on the show. A first in 44 years since 1979.

NHK previously stated in September that it will "not make new requests to entertainers from ... [the agency] to perform in its programs for the time being" in response to the Johnny Kitagawa sexual abuse scandal.

Last year, the agency's talents KANJANI 8, KinKi Kids, King & Prince, SixTONES, Snow Man, and Naniwa Danshi performed on the program. Johnny's talents first participated in Kōhaku Uta Gassen in 1965. Arashi first performed in 2009, along with three other groups. In 2012, five groups from the talent agency performed on the program, six in 2014, seven in 2015, and a steady number of five to six groups have performed every year since then.

Another first this year is Ado, the singing voice of Uta from One Piece Film Red, who will perform as herself. Last year's program featured "Shinjidai" ("New Genesis"), the theme song of One Piece Film Red. Ado performed behind a 3D avatar of Uta, which is also the first time that an anime character appeared on the program.

man
Image via MAN WITH A MISSION's X/Twitter Account
© 2023 MAN WITH A MISSION
Japanese band MAN WITH A MISSION — who performed theme songs for anime series such as Vinland Saga, My Hero Academia, Golden Kamuy, and most recently Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Swordsmith Village Arc — will also debut in this year's program.

The yearly New Year's Eve contest pits two teams of female singers (the red team) and male singers (the white team) against each other. This year's program will take place on December 31 at 7:20 p.m. JST.

The full lineup for the 74th Kōhaku Uta Gassen includes:

(Note: The number in parenthesis represents how many times the singer/group has appeared on the program, including this year.)

RED TEAM

WHITE TEAM

In this year's contest, actress Kanna Hashimoto (Kaguya-sama: Love is War, Gintama live-action films), comedian Hiroiki Ariyoshi, actress Minami Hamabe (Ajin, Godzilla Minus One live action films), and television announcer Kozo Takase are hosting the program. The theme this year is "Borderless: Koete Tsunagaru Ōmisoka" (Borderless: New Year's Eve Connected Beyond Borders).

Sources: NHK, Oricon, Sports Hochi

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