NHK Kohaku Adds Seven First-Timers, With Koshi Inaba in a Special Slot
NHK announced the performers for the 77th Kohaku Uta Gassen, airing December 31.
1 source 2h ago
Reporting from 1 source: KAI-YOU.
Why it matters
The roster leans on social-media-driven idol and artist collectives for its new faces, while the special project hands a WBC tie-in song to a B'z frontman appearing solo.
Key Facts
- The 77th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen airs December 31 from 19:20 to 23:45 on NHK General TV, BSP4K, BS8K, and NHK AM.
- Seven acts make their first appearances: =LOVE and CUTIE STREET on the Red Team, and Ayumu Imazu, Aぇ! group, EBiDAN, Macaroni Enpitsu, and MONAKI on the White Team.
- Koshi Inaba of B'z appears as a solo artist in a special project to perform "Touch," Netflix's support song for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
- L'Arc-en-Ciel returns after 15 years, T.M.Revolution after 12 years, and Mizue Takada after 42 years.
- Mana Ashida, Masato Sakai, Kazunari Ninomiya, and NHK announcer Naoko Suzuki host.
Seven acts make their first appearances: =LOVE and CUTIE STREET on the Red Team, and Ayumu Imazu, Aぇ! group, EBiDAN, Macaroni Enpitsu, and MONAKI on the White Team. As a special project, B'z vocalist Koshi Inaba appears as a solo artist to perform "Touch," Netflix's support song for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The special project carries its own weight: Koshi Inaba performs "Touch," a cover of the 1985 anime theme sung by Yoshimi Iwasaki, which Netflix picked as its tournament support song for the World Baseball Classic held in March 2026. He performed it live on March 10 before the Japan vs. Czech Republic game at Tokyo Dome.
Returning acts include L'Arc-en-Ciel after 15 years, T.M.Revolution after 12, and Mizue Takada after 42. Mana Ashida, Masato Sakai, Kazunari Ninomiya, and NHK announcer Naoko Suzuki host. The broadcast runs from 19:20 to 23:45 on NHK General TV, BSP4K, BS8K, and NHK AM, with streaming on NHK ONE.
- =LOVE: Red Team, produced by Rino Sashihara
- CUTIE STREET: Red Team, from the KAWAII LAB. project
- Ayumu Imazu: White Team
- Aぇ! group: White Team, of STARTO ENTERTAINMENT
- EBiDAN: White Team, Stardust Promotion collective
- Macaroni Enpitsu: White Team, rock band
- MONAKI: White Team, produced by Kazuyoshi Sakai
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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