Oizumi Yo and Hashimoto Kanna to host the 73rd annual Kouhaku Uta Gassen

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NHK has announced the hosts for the 73rd annual Kouhaku Uta Gassen which will be held on New Year’s Eve.

This year, announced are Oizumi Yo, Hashimoto Kanna, NHK announcer Kuwako Maho and special navigator ARASHI’s Sakurai Sho.

This will be Oizumi’s third time, Hashimoto’s first time, Kuwako Maho’s 4th time serving as moderator for Team Red and Sakura for Team White (which he has done five consecutive times).

This year’s Kouhaku will be held with an audience at NHK Hall for the first time in two years.

Hashimoto said, “This time, I will be the moderator of the 73rd Kōhaku Uta Gassen. When I heard this news, I was simply surprised without a sense of reality. Right now, the thought of shouldering this heavy responsibility fills me with a sense of tenseness. Everyone knows that Kouhaku Uta Gassen is a national program with a long history and tradition. I have been working hard as an actress until now, but I had no experience as a moderator, so I was very hesitant about accepting the offer, but the warm words of the program staff encouraged me to take on this honorable role. I have decided to serve and I accepted the offer. I would like to respect the many seniors who have built this program, and I would like to do my best to make everyone who appears this year perform as comfortably as possible. I think there are a lot of things that I’m not good at, but with the help of Oizumi Yo, Sakurai Sho and NHK’s Kuwako Maho, who are co-hosts, I hope to have a fun and bright turn. I would like to work hard to create a team and do my best to be a good bridge for the new year for all the viewers. Thank you very much”.

Oizumi said, “I am Oizumi Yo, and I will serve as the moderator of Kohaku again this year. This is my 3rd year, and I want to make the most of my experiences from the last two times and do my best to create the best Kouhaku! And this time, I am also impressed by the lineup of everyone who will be hosting together. Hashimoto Kanna, announcer Maho Kuwako and special navigator Sho Sakurai! What reliable faces! I am blessed with such encouraging friends, and this year I hope to be able to freely freestyle and enjoy Kohaku without thinking about difficult things! Don’t worry about time, we aim for a free red and white! I will do my best and do my best to cheer for the artists. Thank you!”.

---