Japan's Biggest TV Music Event

The year is wrapping up and there are boundless ways to feast, appreciate, marvel and party to countdown until the turn of the year. NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen (which translates to “Red and White Song Battle”) continues to be a beloved and iconic cultural spectacle, spanning generations of eager audiences who tune into the live television broadcast, featuring some of the biggest stars of Japan’s music scene. Male and female artists compete against each other for an exciting live show that counts down to midnight.

The program, usually shortened to its nickname Kohaku, showcases top artists across various music genres, from popular idol groups to enka singers. For music fans especially, the show is a must-watch. Here is our comprehensive guide to the 76th Kohaku Uta Gassen.

Kohaku Uta Gassen Performers 2025

Kohaku pits two teams — the Red Team (female artists) and the White Team (male artists) — up against each other in a friendly competition that is judged by celebrity guests, the live audience and people watching at home.

Here is the lineup and performance order for the two teams with their respective number of appearances on the program for 2025:

The Red Team

Aina the End (first appearance)
Aimyon (7)
Illit (2)
Lilas Ikuta (first appearance)
Sayuri Ishikawa (48)
Hiromi Iwasaki (15)
aespa (first appearance)
Candy Tune (first appearance)
Fuyumi Sakamoto (37)
Mariko Takahashi (6)
Chanmina (first appearance)
Yoshimi Tendo (30)
Nogizaka46 (11)
Hana (first appearance)
Perfume (17)
Humbert Humbert (first appearance)
Fruits Zipper (first appearance)
Misia (10)
Kaori Mizumori (23)
LiSA (4)

The White Team

&Team (first appearance)
Orange Range (3)
King & Prince (6)
Toshinobu Kubota (2)
Hiromi Go (38)
Sakanaction (2)
Junretsu (8)
Tube (3)
Number_i (2)
Leon Niihama (2)
Vaundy (3)
BE:FIRST (4)
Masaharu Fukuyama (18)
Akira Fuse (26)
Mrs. Green Apple (3)
Hiroshi Miyama (11)
M!lk (first appearance)

The show will be hosted by Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Mio Imada, Haruka Ayase and Naoko Suzuki.

It will feature 10 first-time guest performers, including rapper Chanmina, singer Aina the End, Yoasobi member Lilas Ikuta, the boy band &Team, folk duo Humbert Humbert and the all-female group Fruits Zipper. “We definitely cried when we got the news,” Fruits Zipper member Mana Manaka told The Japan Times.

Line Research conducted a nationwide survey of men and women aged 15 to 69, asking which artists they are most looking forward to seeing perform. Topping the poll for the Red Team was Aimyon with 29.8% of the votes, while Mrs. Green Apple received the most votes for the White Team with 43.3%. Hana and Vaundy are other highly anticipated acts.

Kohaku is not limited to just Japanese artists. K-pop groups Illit and Aespa will be competing. This year’s Kohaku will also host the final performance by long-running pop trio Perfume. The trio announced that they will go on hiatus in 2026.

Enka ballad singer Sayuri Ishikawa has been a long-time collaborator on Kohaku. This year marks her 48th time on the show, after her first appearance in 1977. Ishikawa is one of the most recognized voices in enka, receiving the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival Grand Prize and countless other accolades.

The History of Kohaku Uta Gassen

After the traumatic events of World War II, Japan wanted to produce an upbeat musical celebration to not only help kick off the New Year with a bang, but also mark the start of a new era. The program’s name, “Kohaku,” emphasizes white and red during the New Year season as auspicious colors that symbolize good fortune, purity and prosperity.

Kohaku actually originated as a radio program, which was launched in 1951 by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation. It transitioned over to the world of television two years later.

Kohaku has been a staple part of Japan’s New Year celebrations ever since, drawing in a massive viewership that reached a record of 81.4% of households in 1963.

Throughout the decades, the program has accumulated countless memorable moments, including in 2020, when the show was performed with no audience to comply with pandemic prevention efforts. It was the first time in the program’s history to be broadcast with no spectators present.

Kohaku Uta Gassen is also home to world records. In a special segment that has become a new yearly tradition, artists and staff gather to beat their own officially-recognized Guinness World Record for the “longest line of people catching a kendama ball consecutively.” The 2024 show succeeded with 128 kendama (traditional wooden toy) hits.

How To Watch Kohaku Uta Gassen

Kohaku Uta Gassen will be broadcast on NHK’s TV channel on December 31, starting at 7:20 p.m. and wrapping up shortly before the start of the new year at 11:45 p.m.

Keeping to its historical origins, it will also be available on NHK Radio.