Ariyoshi and Ayase “are from Hiroshima as well, so there is a sense of kinship.
NHK announced the hosts for the 76th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest) at 7:20 p.m. on November 14. The four hosts will be actors Haruka Ayase and Mio Imada, TV personality Hiroyuki Ariyoshi, and announcer Nahoko Suzuki of the same station. This will be the fourth time in six years for Ayase, the third consecutive year for Ariyoshi, and the first time for Imada. This year’s theme is “Tsunagu, tsunagu, oomisoka,” which means “ to connect, to connect, to connect. This year’s theme was “Tsunagu, Tsunagu, Omisoka (Connecting, Connecting, Omisoka),” and as this year’s Kohaku marked the end of 100 years of broadcasting, the theme included the wish that “wonderful music will connect us for the next 100 years as well. Imada, who played the heroine Nobu in the TV novel series “Anpan” in the first half of the 2025 fiscal year, will be hosting “Kohaku” for the first time. Ayase, who narrates in the historical drama “Belabo – Tsutaje Eika no Yume Banashi”, is Ayase’s fourth in six years, and from 2019 she will be the host of NHK’s “Ariyoshi no Money Hakken: Kikkaku! Kaneo-kun” and will be the MC for “Kohaku” for the third year in a row since 2011. Akihisa Koike, the program’s executive director, commented on the reason for the appointment of the four hosts: “If there is still an ‘Ocha-noma’ in Japan, it is ‘Omisoka-no Yoru’ (the night of the big New Year’s Eve). The Kohaku Uta Gassen, now in its 76th year, has always been an event that “connects and links” people with their families and loved ones. We are pleased to welcome Haruka Ayase, Hiroyuki Ariyoshi, and Mio Imada as hosts of the Kohaku Uta Gassen. They are the three people most loved by Japanese audiences today,” he introduced. Ms. Ayase has created moving scenes in past Kohaku dramas, the matured Mr. Ariyoshi creates a warm atmosphere with his casual comments, and Ms. Imada brings cheer to the audience with her fresh smile. And then there is Nahoko Suzuki, the announcer who is a bit of a crybaby. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of atmosphere will be created at NHK Hall on the big day of the year. …… We are looking forward to seeing what kind of atmosphere will be created at the NHK Hall on Omisoka Day. The entire staff is preparing to bring you the best Kohaku ever. Please look forward to it! The staff is preparing to deliver the best Kohaku Uta Gassen ever. Comments from Ayase, Imada, and Ariyoshi are as follows Haruka Ayase: “I will be hosting the Kohaku Uta Gassen for the first time in six years. I love the time we spend working together to create the Kohaku Uta Gassen, and I am very much looking forward to the time we spend working together. I hope to work together with the staff, the hosts, and the artists who will be participating in the festival to prepare for the event and make it a time for various gatherings on New Year’s Eve, and to share a good time with the many viewers through the power of television. I would like to host the Kohaku Uta Gassen with all my heart and soul. Since it is a live performance, things may not go as I have prepared, but I would like to deliver wonderful songs with a sense of excitement and thrill of realism. I will do my best. I will do my best. See you on the big day.” ○Mio Imada “I will be hosting the 76th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. I am very honored to be asked to host the 76th Kohaku Uta Gassen in this commemorative year of the 100th anniversary of NHK’s broadcasting of the TV series “Anpan” in the first half of this fiscal year. Every year I watch the Kohaku Uta Gassen with my family and friends as we look back on the year, and I have received so much musical power from the wonderful performances of the artists. This year, I am excited to be able to enjoy that time with viewers from all over Japan! I will do my best to make 2025 a wonderful year for everyone with Hiroyuki Ariyoshi and Haruka Ayase, and to welcome 2026 cheerfully. I was really surprised to be asked, but I am grateful. I thought it was only last year, so I had already made hotel reservations for my year-end trip. This will be my third time hosting, so I think I will be less nervous than I have been in the past, and I hope to have fun.
ENCOUNT Editorial Department