The was the Reiwa 6 edition of NHK's New Year's Eve TV special "Kōhaku Uta Gassen", held on December 31, 2024. The show was broadcast live from NHK Hall. The White Team won this contest.
Events leading up the broadcast.
On September 18, NHK released the broadcast times. The show starts at 19:20, and wrap up at 23:45 (JST), with a 5-minute break for the latest news. On October 11, NHK announced the hosts, who would be Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Kanna Hashimoto, Sairi Ito, and Naoko Suzuki. Additionally, this year's theme was stated to be "Songs for You".
The show was broadcast globally on NHK World Premium, with the exception of both the US and Canada, which the event exclusively streamed on newly launched , replacing TV Japan following the closure on March 31, 2024. Viewers and listeners within Japan could watch and hear the event on NHK-G and NHK Radio 1 respectively.
In honor of the Jeju Air Flight 2216 crash, which had occurred two days earlier, members of the South Korean groups Tomorrow X Together, Twice, Illit, and Le Sserafim wore black ribbons on their outfits to pay tribute to the victims.
Artist lineup and performance order.
On November 19, the list of performers was revealed. For the second year in a row, no artists belonging to Starto Entertainment and Smile Up, Inc. (formerly Johnny & Associates) were scheduled to appear on this edition of the Kōhaku Uta Gassen. The absence of talent from the agency is a consequence of the juvenile sex abuse scandals from Johnny Kitagawa, revealed on November 13, 2023.
On December 13, Kana Nishino was added to artist lineup. On December 19, Kōji Tamaki joined the lineup to perform his song "Kanashimi ni Sayonara", to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his symphonic national tour. On December 20, Kenshi Yonezu is added to the lineup.
On December 23, the full song list has been revealed. On December 26, NHK announced that changed Gen Hoshino's song performance from "Why Don't You Play in Hell?" to "Barabara". In the same day, the performance order is revealed, with opening the show, and Misia serving once again as Ootori.
Guests.
Judges
Guest Performances