During the 74th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, also known as the Red vs White Singing contest, held on Dec. 31, 2023, Yoasobi, a Japanese music group, gave a remarkable performance of their song ‘Idol’.
However, the stage arrangement during the event was noteworthy as K-pop groups such as NewJeans, Stray Kids, and Seventeen were positioned in the front while J-pop groups such as Nogizaka46 and Be:First were placed in the back. This arrangement drew attention, and some Japanese netizens expressed their opinions, saying that the show seemed to be dominated by K-pop.
The NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen is a highly respected pop music event in Japan that takes place on New Year’s Eve. It features two teams, red and white, competing against each other. It is considered an honor to be part of the event as it signifies that the performer is among the most popular artists of the year.
This year, the event saw a record number of K-pop groups participating. These included LE SSERAFIM, a project group of TWICE named ‘MiSaMo’, Stray Kids, Seventeen, NewJeans, NiziU (all members are Japanese but under the Korean JYP Entertainment), and JO1 from CJ ENM’s audition program.
It was quite unusual that NewJeans, a band that had not debuted in Japan yet, performed at an event alongside the legendary British rock band Queen. The Japanese media, including Nikkan SPA!, pointed out this fact.
On the other hand, none of the groups from Smile-Up, previously known as Johnny & Associates, were included in the final lineup of 44 teams. This was the first time in 44 years since 1979 that Smile-Up. Inc. did not contribute to the show’s viewership, and it was highlighted by Japanese media like Mainichi Shimbun. They suggested that it might have been a deliberate decision in light of international attention on recent sexual exploitation issues involving Johnny Kitagawa, the founder of the agency.
Some analysts believe that the organizers of NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen, a popular Japanese music show, included K-pop acts to attract more viewers and counter the show’s declining ratings. In the 1960s and 1970s, the show’s viewership was high, reaching up to 70-80 percent.
However, in 2021, the show’s ratings hit a historic low of 34.3 percent and further decreased to 31.9 percent despite the presence of seven K-pop groups. Nevertheless, a performance by Yoasobi, which heavily featured K-pop teams, gained significant attention online, reaching second place in global trend searches on X (formerly Twitter) and was noted by Japanese netizens.
