70th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen

70th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
Official artwork for the 70th edition
Also known as	The 70th NHK Red & White Year-End Song Festival
第70回NHK紅白歌合戦: 夢を歌おう
Genre	Music, Variety, Special
Created by	Tsumoru Kondo
Directed by	Yukinori Kida
Presented by	Teruyoshi Uchimura Mayuko Wakuda
Starring	Haruka Ayase Sho Sakurai
Judges	Naoya Inoue Emiko Kaminuma Sandwichman Hinako Shibuno Daiya Seto Kei Tanaka Erika Toda Maya Nakanishi Hiroki Hasegawa Suzu Hirose Akira Yoshino
Ending theme	"Hotaru no Hikari"
Composers	Takahiro Kaneko Tsunaki Mihara
Country of origin	Japan
Original language	Japanese
Production
Production location	NHK Hall
Running time	265 minutes
Production company	NHK Enterprise Inc.
Original release
Network	NHK-G NHK World Premium TV Japan
Release	December 31, 2019 (2019-12-31)

The 70th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen (第70回NHK紅白歌合戦, The 70th NHK Red & White Song Battle) was the 2019 edition of NHK's television special Kōhaku Uta Gassen, held on December 31 live from NHK Hall (Tokyo, Japan), and broadcast in Japan through NHK General Television and NHK Radio 1, and worldwide through TV Japan (US only) and NHK World Premium. This is the first edition in the Reiwa period. The WHITE TEAM won this event.

Events leading up to Broadcast

This is the last year using the theme "Let's Sing a Dream" (夢を歌おう), which remained unchanged since the 67th edition (2016), in support of the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics.[1]

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".[2]

On October 18, actress Haruka Ayase and Arashi member Sho Sakurai were announced as captains from Red and White Team. Teruyoshi Uchimura served as mediator for the third time in a row.

On November 11, Hinatazaka46 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, Generations from Exile Tribe, Masaki Suda, King Gnu, Kis-My-Ft2, Foorin, Hinatazaka46 and the anisong singer LiSA. Hibari Misora was revived using AI technology to perform a brand new song, "Arekara", written by Yasushi Akimoto, most notably for producing idol groups such as AKB48.

On November 22, Mariya Takeuchi was announced as a performer to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her career and perform "Inochi no Uta".

On November 25, Radwimps 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: Haruka Ayase
• White Team: Sho Sakurai
• Moderators: Teruyoshi Uchimura & Mayuko Wakuda

Other program staff

• Kōhaku Uratalk Channel: Ryota Yamasato, Yuki Sugiura, Naomi Watanabe

Judges

• Naoya Inoue (Boxer)
• Emiko Kaminuma (Red Team captain on 45th and 46th Kōhaku)
• Sandwichman (Mikio Date, Takeshi Tomizawa)
• Hinako Shibuno (Golfer, won the 2019 Women's British Open)
• Daiya Seto (Swimmer)
• Kei Tanaka (Actor)
• Erika Toda (Main star from the 101st Asadora Scarlet)
• Maya Nakanishi (Paralympic athlete)
• Hiroki Hasegawa (Main star from Kirin ga Kuru)
• Suzu Hirose (Red Team captain on 69th Kōhaku, and Main star from the 100th Asadora Natsuzora)
• Akira Yoshino (Chemist, won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry)

Guests

• Oshiri Tantei
• Magus (Illusion act for Kaori Mizumori's collaboration performance)
• DJ Koo
• Akira Ishida
• Tōko Miura (Guest vocals on Radwimps performance)
• Shunichi Tokura (Conductor for the show's finale "Hotaru no Hikari")
• Hibari Misora (Special posthumous performance)
• Mizuki Nakamoto (performs "Into the Unknown", from Frozen 2)
• Diamond Yukai (performs "You've Got a Friend in Me", from Toy Story 4)
• Tomoya Nakamura & Haruka Kinoshita (performs "A Whole New World", from Aladdin)
• Kiss (Foreign act, hard rock band from US currently in their last world tour)
• AKB48 Group World Selections: BNK48, CGM48, SGO48, JKT48, DEL48, MNL48, Team SH & Team TP
• Shinya Kiyozuka (Piano on Aya Shimazu performance)
• Matt (Piano on Yoshimi Tendo performance)
• Mayu Kishima (Violin on Keisuke Yamauchi performance)
• Shinji Takeda (Sax on Hiroshi Itsuki performance)
• Takashi Okamura (Sax on Hiroshi Itsuki performance)
• Chico-chan (Special appearance; Drums on Hiroshi Itsuki performance)
• Chocolate Planet (Comedy team)
• Kosuke Kitajima (Assistant navigator for NHK's covearage of 2020 Olympics)
• Masako Nozawa (Voice role for Goku, Gohan & Gotenks in Dragon Ball Super)

Additional crew

• Yasushi Akimoto (Lyrics from "Arekara"; AKB48/46GROUP producer)
• Yamaha Corporation (Vocaloid:AI System & Equipments for Hibari Misora performance)
• Tsunaki Mihara & The New Breed (Additional backing track)

Artist lineup

Performers

  Debuting artists   Returning artists

Red Team Artist Appearance Song Aiko 14 Hanabi Ikimono-gakari 11 Kaze ga Fuiteiru Sayuri Ishikawa 42 Tsugaru Kaikyō Fuyugeshiki AKB48 12 Koi Suru Fortune Cookie ~Kōhaku World Selection SP~ Midori Oka 3 Kami no Tsuru Keyakizaka46 4 Fukyōwaon Fuyumi Sakamoto 31 Iwai Zake ~Shuku! Reiwa Version~ Ringo Shiina 7 Jinsei wa Yume Darake ~Onegai Gattten Hen~ Aya Shimazu 6 Ito Superfly 4 Flare Yoshimi Tendo 24 Osaka Koishigure Twice 3 Let's Dance Medley 2019 Nogizaka46 5 Synchronicity Perfume 12 Fusion ~Kōhaku Version~ Hinatazaka46 Debut Kyun Foorin Debut Paprika ~Kōhaku Special Version~ Seiko Matsuda 23 Seiko Best Single Medley Misia 5 Ai no Katachi Medley Kaori Mizumori 17 Takato Sakura Michi ~Illusion Special~ LiSA Debut Gurenge Little Glee Monster 3 Echo

White Team Artist Appearance Song Arashi 11 Arashi x Kōhaku Special Medley Hiroshi Itsuki 49 Viva La Vida! ~Ikiterutte Iine~ Official Hige Dandism Debut Pretender Kanjani Eight 8 Kanjani Eight Maemuki ni Kibatte Koze! Osaka Medley Kis-My-Ft2 Debut Everybody Go King & Prince 2 King & Prince ~Kōhaku Special Medley~ King Gnu Debut Hakujitsu Hiromi Go 32 2 Oku 4 Senman no Hitomi ~Exotic Go! Go! Japan~ Generations Debut Experience Greatness Junretsu 2 Junretsu no Happy Birthday Masaki Suda Debut Machigai Sagashi Da Pump 7 Da Pump ~One Team Medley~ Kiyoshi Hikawa 20 Kiyoshi Genkai Toppa Special Medley Masaharu Fukuyama 12 Debut 30 Shunen Chokuzen Special Medley[a] Hey! Say! JUMP 3 Ue wo Muite Arukō ~Reiwa Special Version~ Gen Hoshino 5 Same Thing Daichi Miura 3 Blizzard Hiroshi Miyama 6 Bokyo Sanga ~Dai 3 Kai Kendama Sekai Kiroku e no Michi~ Keisuke Yamauchi 5 Kuchibiru Scarlet Yuzu 10 Kōhaku Special Medley 2019–2020[b] Radwimps[c] 2 Tenki no Ko Kōhaku Special

1. Livestream from Fukuyama's Countdown Concert at Pacifico Yokohama.
2. Planned to be "Eikō no Kakehashi" and "Seimei" arranged by Masataka Matsutoya.
3. With Tōko Miura.

Special Performances

• Mariya Takeuchi – "Inochi no Uta"
• Yumi Matsutoya – "No Side"
• Beat Takeshi – "Asakusa Kid"

Songs Performed on Medleys

• Masaharu Fukuyama: "Hello", "Niji", "Zero"
• Twice: "TT -Japanese ver.-", "Fancy -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"
• 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"
• Arashi: "Arashi", "Turning Up"

Special performances

• Arashi – "Kite"
• Hibari Misora – "Arekara"
• Yoshikiss (Yoshiki feat Kiss) – "Rock and Roll All Nite"

Disney Section – performers

• Mizuki Nakamoto – "Into the Unknown ~Kokoro no Mama ni~"
• Diamond Yukai – "Kimi wa Tomodachi (You've Got a Friend in Me)"
• Tomoya Nakamura & Haruka Kinoshita – "A Whole New World"

Not returning this year

• Red Team: Aimyon, Daoko, Kana Nishino, Yumi Matsutoya, Yoshiki ft Sarah Brightman
• White Team: Exile, Suchmos, Sandaime J Soul Brothers, Sekai no Owari, Sexy Zone, Yoshiki ft Hyde, Kenshi Yonezu.

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.

Results

Method	Votes		Points
	Red Team	White Team
Guest Judges	6	5	Red
NHK Hall Audience	1002	1361	White
Viewers (Japan only)	332.394	437.825	White
Winner	White Team

References

1. テーマ第67回NHK紅白歌合戦 夢を歌おう (in Japanese). Japan Broadcasting Corporation. September 8, 2016. Archived from the original on November 15, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
2. "For the first time in Reiwa, 70th Kōhaku Utagassen broadcast time is decided" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports.