, more commonly known as simply Kōhaku, is an annual music

Music

Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...

 show on New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...

 produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK

NHK

NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

 and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas (mainly cable) broadcasters which bought the program. The show ends shortly before midnight (when NHK switches to a frenzy of "Happy New Year" greetings from around the nation).

Literally "Red and White Song Battle," the program divides the most popular music artists of the year into competing teams of red and white. The "red" team or is composed of all female artists (or groups with female vocals), while the "white" team or is all male (or groups with male vocals). The honor of performing on Kōhaku is strictly by invitation, so only the most successful J-Pop

J-pop

, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...

 artists and enka

Enka

is a popular Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically. Modern enka, however, is a relatively recent musical form which arose in the context of such postwar expressions of modern Japanese nonmaterial nationalism as nihonjinron, while adopting a more...

 singers can perform. In addition to the actual music performances, the costumes, hair-styles, makeup, dancing, and lighting are also important. Even today, a performance on Kōhaku is said to be a big highlight in a singer's career because of the show's large reach.

Song selection process

The songs and performers are examined by a selection committee put together by NHK. The basis for selection are record sales and adaptability to the edition's theme.

At the same time, a survey on various demographics is conducted regarding the most popular singers for each, and what kind of music people want to hear. This and the song selection explain the amalgamation of J-Pop acts and enka and adult contemporary artist

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...

s.

There are, however, exceptions to the process. Momoe Yamaguchi

Momoe Yamaguchi

is a former Japanese singer, actress, and idol whose career lasted from 1972 to 1980. In that time, she became one of the most notable singers in Japanese music, and an acclaimed actress. She withdrew from the entertainment business at the peak of her career to marry her frequent costar, fellow...

 chose to sing her favorite song Hito Natsu no Keiken (ひと夏の経験) during the 25th edition, despite NHK's pick of a different song and the suggestive lyrics.

Show

When the show was first broadcast on radio in 1951, each team had a few performers, all of whom would perform within the span of an hour. Since 1989, the program goes on for at least four hours as both teams, each having at least 25 performers, perform their songs.

At the end of the show, the audience and a panel of judges—notable celebrities who may or may not have a connection to the music industry—vote to select the winning team. In the past, the audience vote has been composed of a head count of the venue audience members, who can vote for either team (NHK Hall

NHK Hall

NHK Hall is a part of the NHK Broadcasting Center, located in Jinnan, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Address is 2-2-1, Jinnan, Shibuya, Tokyo 150-8001. This facility has a 3677-seat capacity.* 1955, NHK Hall opened in Tokyo's Uchisaiwai-cho district...

, which has been the venue for most Kōhaku editions since 1971, can seat 3,000 people). This counted as one vote.

As of the 54th (2003) and 55th editions (2004), viewers who watch the program through ISDB-S on NHK BS Hi-vision could also take part in the voting by having their own head count in their respective household

Household

The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....

s. Although it is still sketchy to determine in the 55th, the audience vote is counted as two votes; one for the venue audience and one for ISDB-S viewers.

The audience vote(s) are added to those of the judges who each have to vote for one team. The team with the most votes wins.

The above process was done differently for the 56th edition (2005). Instead, the NHK Hall head count, the vote count from cellphone users, and the vote count from ISDB-S viewers each counted as one vote. As stated above, the team that got at least two votes won.

In the 57th edition

57th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen

The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku," aired on December 31, 2006. This event was filmed and aired from NHK Hall in Japan. Air time was from 19:20 to 23:45 . All times are JST...

 (2006), aside from cellphone and ISDB-S viewers and the NHK Hall audience, 1seg

1seg

is a mobile terrestrial digital audio/video and data broadcasting service in Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru. Service began experimentally during 2005 and commercially on April 1, 2006. In Brazil, the broadcast started in late 2007 in just a few cities, with a slight difference from...

 users also voted. Its format had also been reverted back to the ball voting system - from the audience head count and the judges' votes.

From the 58th edition

58th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen

The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku," aired on December 31, 2007. on NHK Hall in Japan. Air time was from 19:20 to 23:45...

 (2007) onwards, the winner was determined through an overall head count, all from cellphone, ISDB-S viewers, 1seg users, and the NHK Hall Audience (including guests).

Aside from the performances, there are special performances where certain performers do their act together, and the so-called "Ring Show" where performers from both teams take part in a "singing exercise."

Results

Kōhaku #	Date	| Red Team Host	| White Team Host	| Mediator	Winning Team
1	3 January 1951	Michiko Katō	Shuuichi Fujikura	Masaharu Tanabe	White
2	3 January 1952	Kiyoko Tange	Shuuichi Fujikura	Masaharu Tanabe	White
3	2 January 1953	Suga Honda	Teru Miyata	Masayori Shimura	White
4	31 December 1953	Takiko Mizunoe	Keizo Takahashi	Seigoro Kitade	Red
5	31 December 1954	Natsue Fukuji	Keizo Takahashi	Shōzaburō Ishii	Red
6	31 December 1955	Teru Miyata	Keizo Takahashi	Shōzaburō Ishii	Red
7	31 December 1956	Teru Miyata	Keizo Takahashi	Shōzaburō Ishii	White
8	31 December 1957	Takiko Mizunoe	Keizo Takahashi	Shōzaburō Ishii	Red
9	31 December 1958	Tetsuko Kuroyanagi Tetsuko Kuroyanagi is an internationally famous Japanese actress, a talk show host, a best-selling author of children book, a World Wide Fund for Nature advisor, and a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. She is well-known for her charitable works, and is considered as one of the first Japanese celebrities who achieved...	Keizo Takahashi	Shōzaburō Ishii	Red
10	31 December 1959	Meiko Nakamura	Keizo Takahashi	Shōzaburō Ishii	Red
11	31 December 1960	Meiko Nakamura	Keizo Takahashi	Shōzaburō Ishii	White
12	31 December 1961	Meiko Nakamura	Keizo Takahashi	Toshiaki Hosaka	White
13	31 December 1962	Mitsuko Mori Mitsuko Mori , real name , is a Japanese actress. In May 2009, she became the first actor in Japan to have performed 2,000 times. She was born in Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan.On May 11, 2009, Takeo Kawamura announced that Mori would be awarded the People's Honour Award....	Teru Miyata	Shōzaburō Ishii	White
14	31 December 1963	Eri Chiemi	Teru Miyata	Shōzaburō Ishii	Red
15	31 December 1964	Eri Chiemi	Teru Miyata	Shōzaburō Ishii	White
16	31 December 1965	Michiko Hayashi	Teru Miyata	Shōzaburō Ishii	White
17	31 December 1966	Peggy Hayama	Teru Miyata	Shōzaburō Ishii	Red
18	31 December 1967	Yumiko Kokonoe Yumiko Kokonoe Yumiko Kokonoe is a Japanese actress and singer. She is the protagonist of the series Comet San filmed by Tokyo Broadcasting Corporation . 79 episodes of Comet San were produced during 1967 and 1968 by TBS....	Teru Miyata	Shōzaburō Ishii	Red
19	31 December 1968	Kiyoko Suizenji	Kyu Sakamoto Kyu Sakamoto was a Japanese singer and actor, best known outside of Japan for his international hit song "Sukiyaki", which was sung in Japanese and sold over 13 million copies...	Teru Miyata	White
20	31 December 1969	Yukari Ito	Kyu Sakamoto	Teru Miyata	Red
21	31 December 1970	Hibari Misora Hibari Misora was an award-winning Japanese enka singer and actress. and was the first woman in Japan to receive the People's Honour Award, which was awarded posthumously for her notable contributions to the music industry. Misora recorded 1,200 songs, and sold 68 million records. After she died, consumer demand...	Teru Miyata	Shizuo Yamakawa	Red
22	31 December 1971	Kiyoko Suizenji	Teru Miyata	Shizuo Yamakawa	White
23	31 December 1972	Naomi Sagara	Teru Miyata	Shizuo Yamakawa	Red
24	31 December 1973	Kiyoko Suizenji	Teru Miyata	Shizuo Yamakawa	Red
25	31 December 1974	Naomi Sagara	Shizuo Yamakawa	Masao Domon & Yōzō Nakae	Red
26	31 December 1975	Naomi Sagara	Shizuo Yamakawa	Hiroshi Aikawa	White
27	31 December 1976	Naomi Sagara	Shizuo Yamakawa	Hiroshi Aikawa	Red
28	31 December 1977	Naomi Sagara	Shizuo Yamakawa	Hiroshi Aikawa	White
29	31 December 1978	Mitsuko Mori	Shizuo Yamakawa	Hiroshi Aikawa	White
30	31 December 1979	Kiyoko Suizenji	Shizuo Yamakawa	Yōzō Nakae	Red
31	31 December 1980	Tetsuko Kuroyanagi	Shizuo Yamakawa	Yōzō Nakae	Red
32	31 December 1981	Tetsuko Kuroyanagi	Shizuo Yamakawa	Keiichi Ubukata	White
33	31 December 1982	Tetsuko Kuroyanagi	Shizuo Yamakawa	Keiichi Ubukata	Red
34	31 December 1983	Tetsuko Kuroyanagi	Kenji Suzuki Kenji Suzuki is a former television announcer for the NHK in Japan. He retired in 1988. He is the younger brother of film director Seijun Suzuki.-Selected works:...	Tamori Tamori is a Japanese celebrity. His real name is and the screenname Tamori is an anagram of his surname. He was born on 22 August 1945 in Fukuoka City in Fukuoka Prefecture....	White
35	31 December 1984	Mitsuko Mori	Kenji Suzuki	Keiichi Ubukata	Red
36	31 December 1985	Masako Mori Masako Mori Masako Mori may refer to:*Masako Mori - Japanese politician *Masako Mori - Japanese singer and former 1970s idol , see 25th Japan Record Awards...	Kenji Suzuki	Masaho Senda	Red
37	31 December 1986	Yuki Saito & Yoriko Mekata Yoriko Mekata is a Japanese television announcer for NHK.-Biography:Mekata is from Shizuoka Prefecture, but spent several years in Argentina and Canada, and graduated from Quesnel Senior Secondary School in Canada. She graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo, and joined the staff of NHK. Her initial assignment...	Yūzō Kayama & Masaho Senda	Seiichi Yoshikawa	White
38	31 December 1987	Akiko Wada Akiko Wada is a female Japanese singer and television performer of Korean ancestry, originally hailing from , Ikuno-ku, Osaka. Born Kim Bok-Ja , like many Zainichi Koreans, she also had a name for everyday use, which was Japanicized . On her selection of Japanese citizenship, her name became , which upon...	Yūzō Kayama Yuzo Kayama is a Japanese popular musician and film star, born on 11 April 1937. His father, Ken Uehara, was a film star during the 1930s. Yuzo Kayama became a big star in the 1960s in the Wakadaishō film series....	Seiichi Yoshikawa	Red
39	31 December 1988	Akiko Wada	Yūzō Kayama	Keiko Sugiura	White
40	31 December 1989	Yoshiko Mita	Tetsuya Takeda	Sadatomo Matsudaira	Red
41	31 December 1990	Yoshiko Mita	Toshiyuki Nishida Toshiyuki Nishida is a Japanese actor. Outside of Japan, Nishida is best known for his portrayal of Pigsy in the TV series Monkey.Toshiyuki Nishida has received ten Japanese Academy Award nominations, winning twice, for Dun-Huang in 1988 and Gakko and Tsuribaka Nisshi 6 in 1993...	Sadatomo Matsudaira	White
42	31 December 1991	Yūko Ayano	Masaaki Sakai Masaaki Sakai is a popular Japanese performer from Tokyo. He is best known to English-speaking audiences as the title star of the TV show Monkey.- Biography :...	Shizuo Yamakawa	Red
43	31 December 1992	Hikari Ishida Hikari Ishida is a Japanese actress. She starred along with Megumi Odaka and Natsuki Ozawa in the TV-series Hana no Asuka Gumi. She also released several singles and six albums and she had one minor hit with the song "Emerald no Suna". Ishida also made numerous commercials for hair products and released several...	Masaaki Sakai	Shizuo Yamakawa	White
44	31 December 1993	Hikari Ishida	Masaaki Sakai	Miyuki Morita	White
45	31 December 1994	Emiko Kaminuma	Ichiro Furutachi	Yasuo Miyakawa	Red
46	31 December 1995	Emiko Kaminuma	Ichiro Furutachi	Ryūji Miyamoto Ryuji Miyamoto is a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...  & Mitsuyo Kusano Mitsuyo Kusano is a female Japanese TV presenter and news anchor.She once has served as an announcer for NHK and as one of the masters of ceremony for the annual Kohaku Uta Gassen.- External links :*...	White
47	31 December 1996	Takako Matsu Takako Matsu , born , is a Japanese actress and pop singer/songwriter born on June 10, 1977 in Tokyo, Japan. The style of her music is often laid-back and relaxing.- Profile :* Interests: Watching movies and stage plays...	Ichiro Furutachi	Ryūji Miyamoto & Mitsuyo Kusano	White
48	31 December 1997	Akiko Wada	Masahiro Nakai Masahiro Nakai is a singer, actor and host for music events and variety shows such as the long-running music show Utaban. He is the leader of the Japanese idol group SMAP.-Early life:...	Ryūji Miyamoto	White
49	31 December 1998	Junko Kubo Junko Kubo is a television announcer in Japan. Her nicknames are Kubojun and Junjun.Born the daughter of two Nippon Television announcers, Junko spent four years in England during elementary school, and lived in the United States during her some of high-school years...	Masahiro Nakai	Ryūji Miyamoto	Red
50	31 December 1999	Junko Kubo	Nakamura Kankurō V	Ryūji Miyamoto	White
51	31 December 2000	Junko Kubo	Motoya Izumi	Ryūji Miyamoto	Red
52	31 December 2001	Yumiko Udō	Wataru Abe	Tamio Miyake	White
53	31 December 2002	Yumiko Udō	Wataru Abe	Tamio Miyake	Red
54	31 December 2003	Yumiko Udō & Takako Zenba	Wataru Abe & Tetsuya Takayama	Tōko Takeuchi	White
55	31 December 2004	Fumie Ono	Wataru Abe	Masaaki Horio	Red
56	31 December 2005	Mino Monta, Motoyo Yamane, Yukie Nakama Yukie Nakama is a Japanese actress, singer and former idol. She was born in Okinawa, Japan, in a fisherman's family, the youngest of five siblings.At the start of her career she was a gravure idol and singer , and appeared in bit roles until her career breakthrough playing Sadako in "Ring 0: Birthday ."In 2000,... , and Koji Yamamoto Koji Yamamoto (actor) is a Japanese Actor and singer, who was born in Tokyo, Japan.-Career:He began his career as a baby model at under one year of age. He also played Marius in the Japanese TOHO production of Les Misérables and appears on the 2003 "green" cast recording. His first major role was in 2004 in Shinsengumi!... *			White
57 57th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku," aired on December 31, 2006. This event was filmed and aired from NHK Hall in Japan. Air time was from 19:20 to 23:45 . All times are JST...	31 December 2006	Yukie Nakama	Masahiro Nakai	Tamio Miyake & Megumi Kurosaki	White
58 58th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku," aired on December 31, 2007. on NHK Hall in Japan. Air time was from 19:20 to 23:45...	31 December 2007	Masahiro Nakai**	Tsurube Shōfukutei	Kazuya Matsumoto & Miki Sumiyoshi Miki Sumiyoshi is a Japanese announcer. She works for the public broadcaster NHK. Miki was born in Kawasaki, and moved with her family to Seattle, Washington in the United States. She returned to Japan while in elementary school, and completed junior high school in Kobe...	White
59 59th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku", was aired on December 31, 2008 from NHK Hall in Japan.- Hosts :*Red team host: Yukie Nakama*White team host: Masahiro Nakai*Mediators: Kazuya Matsumoto and Fumie Ono...	31 December 2008	Yukie Nakama	Masahiro Nakai	Kazuya Matsumoto	White
60 60th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku", was aired on December 31, 2009 from NHK Hall in Japan.-Performers:The singers, announced on November 23, 2009, are ordered below according to the gojūon....	31 December 2009	Yukie Nakama	Masahiro Nakai	Wataru Abe	White
61 61st NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku", aired on December 31, 2010 from NHK Hall in Japan.This was the last time the Kōhaku was broadcast in analog television transmission. As of July 24, 2011 the digital television switchover throughout Japan will occur, when analog signals will be shut off...	31 December 2010	Nao Matsushita Nao Matsushita is a Japanese actress and singer.- History :Nao was born in Kawanishi, Hyōgo on 8 February 1985. Winning Japan's Elite Model Look started her modeling career in earnest.She attended the Tokyo College of Music.-Singles:...	Arashi Arashi is a Japanese boy band formed under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, which announced the formation of the group on November 3, 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii...	Wataru Abe	White
62	31 December 2011	Mao Inoue Mao Inoue is a Japanese actress. She debuted as a U-15 idol in 1999. She is best known to Japanese television drama audiences as in and Makino Tsukushi in the Hana Yori Dango series, in which she won Best Actress in the 47th Television Drama Academy Awards and received a newcomer award at the 16th Hashida...	Arashi Arashi is a Japanese boy band formed under the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, which announced the formation of the group on November 3, 1999 in Honolulu, Hawaii...		TBA

* In the 56th edition, the roles of mediator and team host were blurred as all four hosts intermingled with both teams.

** Masahiro Nakai is the first male team host of the Red team since Teru Miyata in the 6th and 7th editions. Red team hosts (even in pairs) are usually female.

Popularity

Kōhaku was once the most-watched show on Japanese television of the year. One major factor was that New Year's Eve in Japan is a holiday traditionally spent at home (see Ōmisoka

Omisoka

, New Year's Eve, is the second-most important day in Japanese tradition because it is the final day of the old year and the eve of New Year's Day, which is the most important day of the year....

). Over the years, the annual event's popularity has declined from an all-time high of 81.4 (14th event) to an all-time low of 30.8/39.3 (55th event) in the Kantō region

Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....

. Despite the drop, Kōhaku is consistently the top-rated musical event each year.

Notable acts on Kōhaku

The following is a list of notable acts who have a minimum of five appearances on Kōhaku to his/her/its credit (appearance numbers in parenthesis are as of 61st edition and includes future performances for the 62nd):

J-pop and J-rock

• Ai Otsuka
  Ai Otsuka
  is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and actress from Suminoe-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. She is a popular artist on the Avex Trax label and is best known for her 2003 hit "Sakuranbo," which stayed in the Top 200 Oricon Weekly Singles Chart for 103 weeks.A piano...
  
   (6)
• aiko
  Aiko (singer)
  Aiko is a J-Pop singer-songwriter and vocalist. She studied popular music vocals at the Osaka College of Music, and after graduating in 1996, she became a DJ on FM Osaka...
  
   (10)
• Akina Nakamori
  Akina Nakamori
  is a Japanese pop singer and actress. She was one of the most popular singers of the 1980s in Japan. She is known for her deep, power-house voice....
  
   (7)
• Angela Aki
  Angela Aki
  , born Kiyomi Angela Aki on September 15, 1977, is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist from Itano, Tokushima, Japan.-Early life:...
  
   (6)
• Aya Matsuura
  Aya Matsuura
  is a Japanese pop singer from Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.-2000–2009: Hello! Project:Aya auditioned in 2000 for the fourth Morning Musume & Heike Michiyo Protegee Audition and was selected along with Sheki-Dol to become a part of what was later known as Hello! Project. It is a common...
  
   (5)¹
• Ayaka
  Ayaka
  is a Japanese female singer formerly signed to Warner Music Japan. Born in Osaka, she moved to Tokyo to pursue a singing career. She married actor Hiro Mizushima on February 22, 2009.-2006:...
  
   (5)
• Ayaka Hirahara (8)
• Ayumi Hamasaki
  Ayumi Hamasaki
  is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
  
   (13)
• BoA
  BoA
  Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
  
   (6)
• Chemistry
  Chemistry (band)
  is a Japanese Pop/R&B duo, composed of and . They were the winners of the Asayan audition in 2000 organized by Sony Music Entertainment Japan....
  
   (5)
• Da Pump
  Da Pump
  is an Okinawan male idol group comprising lead vocalist, Issa and MCs Ken, Yukinari, and Shinobu. The group formed as students at Okinawa Actors School in 1996...
  
   (5)
• Dreams Come True (14)
• Every Little Thing (8)
• EXILE (7)
• Four Leaves (7)
• Gackt
  Gackt
  is a Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, voice actor and author. Usually referred to by his mononymous stage name, he is known for his career as a solo artist and as the former vocalist for the defunct visual kei rock band Malice Mizer....
  
   (5)
• Gospellers
  Gospellers
  The Gospellers are a Japanese a cappella vocal group made up of Tetsuya Murakami, Kaoru Kurosawa, Yuji Sakai, Yoichi Kitayama and Yutaka Yasuoka....
  
   (6)
• Hideaki Tokunaga
  Hideaki Tokunaga
  is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter and actor.Although Tokunaga failed to pass the test of Star Tanjō! in 1982, he debuted as a recording singer in 1986. After he released hit songs such as "Yume o Shinjite" and "Kowarekake no Radio" in 1990, his single "Wednesday Moon" reached No...
  
   (6)
• Hiromi Gō
  Hiromi Go
  is a Japanese singer, part of Sony Music Entertainment Japan. His real name is .In the 1970s, he was called "New Big Three" with Goro Noguchi and Hideki Saijo. He belonged to Johnny & Associates, but later left the agency...
  
   (24)
• Hiromi Iwasaki
  Hiromi Iwasaki (singer)
  is a Japanese female singer debuted in 1975. Her younger sister Yoshimi Iwasaki is also a singer. In 1981 she was awarded the Silver Prize at the Tokyo Music Festival for her song "Koimachigusa"....
  
   (14)
• Junko Sakurada
  Junko Sakurada
  is a Japanese singer and actress. She was part of a music trio in 1973, which included Momoe Yamaguchi and Masako Mori. Sakurada then became successful in a solo music career. In 1979 Sakurada appeared in a film made by the production company Toho, and became popular as an actress...
  
   (9)
• Ken Hirai
  Ken Hirai
  is a Japanese R&B and pop singer. Since his debut, Hirai has worked as a model, actor, composer, lyricist, singer, and spokesperson.During his career, Hirai has released 32 singles and 11 albums up until October 2010. According to Oricon, his single Hitomi Wo Tojite became the best-selling single...
  
   (7)
• Kobukuro
  Kobukuro
  is a Japanese band, which formed in 1998 and made its major label debut in 2001. The name is a portmanteau of the two family names, Kentarō Kobuchi and Shunsuke Kuroda.- Members :...
  
   (6)
• Kome Kome Club
  Kome Kome Club
  is a Japanese pop band formed in 1982. It is widely recognized as the only Japanese pop musical group which achieved commercial success by blending funk, soul and Latin musical styles. They also use the style of rakugo.-1982–1997: Commercial success:...
  
   (5)

• Kumi Koda
  Kumi Koda
  , better known by her stage name , is a Japanese singer and songwriter from Kyoto, known for her urban and R&B songs. Having debuted in 2000 with the single "Take Back", Koda gained fame for her seventh single, "Real Emotion/1000 no Kotoba", the songs of which were used as themes for the video game...
  
   (7)
• Kyōko Koizumi
  Kyoko Koizumi
  ' is a Japanese singer and actress. Her music is released through Victor Entertainment . She is also known by the nickname Kyon Kyon. She had singles reach the Top ten for 12 consecutive years between 1983 and 1994, a female solo artist record, until this was broken by Namie Amuro...
  
   (5)
• L'Arc~en~Ciel
  L'Arc~en~Ciel
  L'Arc-en-Ciel , stylized as L'Arc~en~Ciel, is a Japanese rock band formed in 1991 in Osaka. The group has sold over 13 million albums, 16 million singles, and millions of other units, including videos...
  
   (5)
• Linda Yamamoto
  Linda Yamamoto
  is a Japanese singer and actress whose greatest hit song was in 1973.-Biography :Yamamoto was born March 4, 1951 in Kitakyushu to a Japanese mother and an American father. Her father was a U.S. serviceman who died in the Korean War when she was only two years old. Yamamoto moved to Yokohama as a...
  
   (5)
• Mayumi Itsuwa
  Mayumi Itsuwa
  is a Japanese vocalist, composer, lyricist, and keyboardist who made her debut in 1972.Her first studio album entitled Shoujo was recorded in Los Angeles, produced by GRAMMY Award winner John Fischbach, with distinguished musicians such as David Campbell, Carole King and Charles Larkey who was...
  
   (5)
• MAX
  MAX (band)
  MAX whose name is an acronym for "Musical Active eXperience" is an Okinawan vocal group popular in Japan. The original members of MAX made their musical debut as members of the Super Monkey's along with lead vocalist, Namie Amuro...
  
   (5)
• Miho Nakayama (7)
• Mika Nakashima
  Mika Nakashima
  is a Japanese singer, model, and actress. She has achieved five number-one albums in Japan and also embarked on an acting career, most notably in the live-action movie Nana, based on the manga of the same name.- Early life and debut :...
  
   (8)
• Momoe Yamaguchi
  Momoe Yamaguchi
  is a former Japanese singer, actress, and idol whose career lasted from 1972 to 1980. In that time, she became one of the most notable singers in Japanese music, and an acclaimed actress. She withdrew from the entertainment business at the peak of her career to marry her frequent costar, fellow...
  
   (6)
• Morning Musume
  Morning Musume
  , sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...
  
   (10)
• Namie Amuro
  Namie Amuro
  is a Japanese R&B and pop singer, entertainer, and former actress who at the height of her popularity was referred to as the "Teen Queen" and the title "Queen of Japanese Pop Music". Born in Naha, Okinawa, Amuro debuted at the age of 14 as an idol in the girl group Super Monkey's...
  
   (9)
• Naoko Kawai (河合奈保子) (6)
• Naomi Sagara (佐良直美) (13)
• Porno Graffitti
  Porno Graffitti
  , also known as is a Japanese male rock band from Innoshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. The band got their name from the album Pornograffitti by the band Extreme...
  
   (10)
• Saori Minami
  Akemi Cynthia Paule Uchima
  Saori Minami was born in Okinawa, Japan on July 2, 1954 to Okinawan parents. She became a singer in Japan when she made a hit song "Seventeen Year Old". For years, she has denied her fact that she was born in Okinawa due to Japanese discrimination presented against ethnic Okinawans...
  
   (8)
• Seiko Matsuda
  Seiko Matsuda
  is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter. Due to her popularity in the 1980s and her long career, she has been dubbed the "Eternal idol" by the Japanese media.- Biography :...
  
   (16)
• SMAP
  SMAP
  SMAP is a Japanese boy band formed by Johnny & Associates. While originally consisting of six members, the current group members are Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori...
  
   (19)
• Tokio
  Tokio (band)
  Tokio is a Japanese rock/pop band formed by Johnny & Associates that debuted in 1994. It is made up of five men who were signed with Sony Music Entertainment from 1994 to 2001, with Universal Music Japan from 2001 to 2008, and are now signed under J Storm, a label owned by Johnny & Associates...
  
   (18)
• Tomomi Kahala
  Tomomi Kahala
  born on August 17, 1974 in Tokyo), is a Japanese J-pop singer. She is famous for working with Tetsuya Komuro who gave her much success in the 1990s, which led to her deep dip in popularity after 1999, the year in which she released her first non-TK produced album, One Fine Day...
  
   (5)
• W-inds.
  W-inds.
  W-inds is a Japanese pop boy band that is managed by Vision Factory and has been signed to the Pony Canyon label since 2000. The group consists of the three individuals Ryohei Chiba, Keita Tachibana, and Ryuichi Ogata. They made their formal debut in 2001 and, to date, have released 30 singles...
  
   (6)
• X Japan
  X Japan
  is a Japanese heavy metal band founded in 1982 by Yoshiki and Toshi. Originally named X , the group achieved their breakthrough success in 1989 with the release of their second album Blue Blood...
  
   (5)
• Yo Hitoto
  Yo Hitoto
  is a Japanese pop singer. Her mother is Japanese and her father is Taiwanese. She can speak three languages: Japanese, English, and Mandarin. Tae Hitoto is her older sister. Her name Hitoto is not her real surname, it is her mother's maiden name. She changed her name when she came to Japan...
  
   (5)
• Yōko Oginome
  Yoko Oginome
  , real name , is a singer, actress and voice actress. Oginome spent most of her elementary and junior high years living in the town of Ranzan in Saitama Prefecture, though she attended school in the city of Sakura. She graduated from Horikoshi High School in Nakano, Tokyo. She is represented by the...
  
   (5)

1. Matsuura has also appeared with DEF.DIVA

DEF.DIVA

Def.Diva was a "special group" formed in 2005 from the Hello! Project idol umbrella, and consisted of Aya Matsuura, Maki Goto, Natsumi Abe and Rika Ishikawa. The band's name is an abbreviation of the phrase "Definite Diva"....

 and GAM. However, NHK does not count those appearances towards her count.

Enka and other contemporary

• Ayako Fuji
  Ayako Fuji
  , better known by her stage name , is a Japanese enka singer. She is signed onto Sony Music Japan. Born in Kakunodate, Akita, Fuji graduated from Akita Prefectural Kakunodate South High School.- Hit songs :* Utakata no Koi, 1998* Miren, 1995...
  
   (17)
• Akiko Wada
  Akiko Wada
  is a female Japanese singer and television performer of Korean ancestry, originally hailing from , Ikuno-ku, Osaka. Born Kim Bok-Ja , like many Zainichi Koreans, she also had a name for everyday use, which was Japanicized . On her selection of Japanese citizenship, her name became , which upon...
  
   (35)
• Akira Fuse
  Akira Fuse
  is a Japanese singer who was once married to Olivia Hussey. He debuted in 1965 with the single . His greatest hits are and . He currently makes consistent appearances on television, performs occasional seasonal tours, hosts a late night talk show, and is involved in a number of stage plays...
  
   (25)
• Chiyoko Shimakura
  Chiyoko Shimakura
  is a female enka singer and TV presenter in Japan.She has a long career as a singer - almost 50 years. Despite her long career, Chiyoko remains cute and lovely in her stage work.Chiyoko is considered as "the Goddess of Enka"...
  
   (35)
• Fuyumi Sakamoto
  Fuyumi Sakamoto
  is a Japanese female enka singer under EMI Music Japan.-Career:On March 4, 1987, Sakamoto debuted as a recording singer with the single "Abare Daiko". In 1988, she took part in the 39th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen for the first time...
  
   (坂本冬美) (23)
• George Yamamoto (山本譲二) (11)
• Hibari Misora
  Hibari Misora
  was an award-winning Japanese enka singer and actress. and was the first woman in Japan to receive the People's Honour Award, which was awarded posthumously for her notable contributions to the music industry. Misora recorded 1,200 songs, and sold 68 million records. After she died, consumer demand...
  
   (18)
• Hideki Saijō
  Hideki Saijo
  is a Japanese singer and television celebrity most famous for singing the Japanese version of the Village People's hit song Y.M.C.A., called Young Man. Although the original version was camp, Saijō's version was intended to seriously inspire "young men"....
  
   (18)
• Hiroshi Itsuki
  Hiroshi Itsuki
  is a Japanese male singer and composer. He sold 20 million records of singles and 4 million copies of LP albums by 1987.Itsuki is usually regarded as an enka singer, but he even covered Southern All Stars' J-pop song "Tsunami"....
  
   (41)
• Ichirō Toba (鳥羽一郎) (20)
• Kaori Kōzai (香西かおり) (15)
• Kaori Mizumori
  Kaori Mizumori
  ' is a Japanese female enka singer. Her real name is .Her songs are usually titled after Japanese landmarks and Japanese nature. Thus Kaori gained her popularity as an Enka singer in Japan.- External links :*...
  
   (9)
• Kenichi Mikawa
  Kenichi Mikawa
  is a Japanese singer and TV personality, known for his outspoken views and style.Mikawa was born in Suwa, Nagano as . He recorded a number of hit songs as a male enka singer in the 1960s and 1970s. The most well-known of his songs include "Sasoriza no Onna" and "Yanagase Blues"...
  
   (26)
• Kenji Sawada
  Kenji Sawada
  , nicknamed "Julie" , also-known as vocalist for the Japanese rock band The Tigers, is a Japanese singer, composer, lyricist and actor. He was born in Tsunoi, Iwami , Tottori Prefecture, Japan, and raised in Sakyo-ku, Kyoto at age 3...
  
   (17)
• Kiyoshi Hikawa
  Kiyoshi Hikawa
  is a Japanese enka singer who was born on September 6, 1977 in Minami-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. His real name is and he is known as "The Prince of Enka" due to his young age and popularity...
  
   (12)
• Kiyoshi Maekawa
  Kiyoshi Maekawa
  is a Japanese singer and tarento.He is best known as the first lead vocalist of Hiroshi Uchiyamada and Cool Five, which was formed in 1967 and debuted in 1969 with the Japan Record Award-winning song "Nagasaki wa Kyō mo Ame Datta"...
  
   (18)
• Kye Eun-sook (7)
• Masako Mori
  Masako Mori
  Masako Mori may refer to:*Masako Mori - Japanese politician *Masako Mori - Japanese singer and former 1970s idol , see 25th Japan Record Awards...
  
   (15)
• Masao Sen (千 昌夫) (19)

• Masashi Sada
  Masashi Sada
  is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, novelist, actor, and a film producer.Sada formed the folk duo Grape with Masami Yoshida in 1972, and made debut as a recording artist a year after. The pair rose to fame owing to a hit of a song "Shourou Nagashi" composed by Sada, which peaked at the...
  
   (19)
• Mina Aoe
  Mina Aoe
  was a Japanese female enka singer who had a series of popular hits in the late 1960s and continued charting late into her career.With her distinctive husky voice, she acquired the nickname of "Queen of the Blues". Due to her frequent appearances on television programs , she is fondly remembered by...
  
   (18)
• Mitsuko Nakamura (中村美律子) (15)
• Miyuki Kawanaka
  Miyuki Kawanaka
  Miyuki Kawanaka is a Japanese Enka singer.She was born Kimiko Kawanaka in Suita, Osaka. At a young age she moved to Osaka where she grew up. In 1973 she debuted as Kasuga Harumi with the song Shinjuku Tenshin. She later tried to become an idol with the release of Kantsubaki no Shima Kara...
  
   (24)
• Natsuko Godai (伍代夏子) (18)
• Rimi Natsukawa
  Rimi Natsukawa
  is an Okinawan singer. She is best known for her 2001 single "Nada Sōsō."- Childhood :Natsukawa was born in Ishigaki, the largest city in the Yaeyama Islands chain. From a young age she enjoyed singing, and wanted to be a singer after hearing her father sing Yaeyama folk songs, such as and...
  
   (6)
• Ryōko Moriyama
  Ryoko Moriyama
  , is a Japanese folk and jazz singer. Her father is Hisashi Moriyama, a pioneer of Japanese jazz. Her son Naotaro Moriyama is a singer. Her first cousin Hiroshi Kamayatsu is also a musician....
  
   (10)
• Saburō Kitajima
  Saburo Kitajima
  is a well-known Japanese enka singer, lyricist and composer.He was born Minoru Ōno , in a little town in Hokkaidō to a fisherman. He was very poor because of the effects of World War II, and he was forced to work while he studied....
  
   (48)
• Sachiko Kobayashi (小林幸子) (33)
• Saori Yuki
  Saori Yuki
  is a Japanese singer and actress. She was born as Akiko Yasuda in Kiryu, Gunma, Japan and raised in Yokohama. She started her singing career with her older sister Sachiko as a child singer...
  
   and Sachiko Yasuda (10)¹
• Sayuri Ishikawa
  Sayuri Ishikawa
  , is a Japanese enka singer. She is a popular contestant on the annual NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen broadcast, having appeared 32 times since 1977. Ishikawa made her name performing the classic "Tsugarukaikyo-Fuyugeshiki"...
  
   (34)
• Shinichi Mori
  Shinichi Mori
  is a Japanese male enka singer and composer, who also sings folk and pop music. Nishinippon Shimbun claims that his total sales of gramophone records and CDs has been over 90 million copies....
  
   (44)
• Shinji Tanimura
  Shinji Tanimura
  is a Japanese singer and songwriter.- Biography :In 1971, Tanimura set up the musical group, Alice, along with Takao Horiuchi, and in 1972 produced his first extended play musical album. Two years later, they produced their first album from the musical group...
  
   (16)
• Takao Horiuchi
  Takao Horiuchi
  is a Japanese pop and enka singer. He won a 1990 Japan Record Award for enka.- External links :*...
  
   (17)
• Takashi Hosokawa
  Takashi Hosokawa
  , born 細川貴志 on 15 June 1950, Makkari, Abuta District, Hokkaidō, Japan) is a Japanese male enka singer.In 1975, he debuted with song "Kokoro Nokori". Hosokawa immediately became one of the most popular enka and pop singers in Japan...
  
   (35)
• Yōko Nagayama
  Yoko Nagayama
  Yōko Nagayama is a Japanese enka singer, former J-pop singer, and actress.- Early life :Nagayama was born in Tokyo. At the age of four, she began attending min'yo group singing lessons with her father...
  
   (14)
• Yoshimi Tendō (天童よしみ) (16)
• Yutaka Yamakawa (山川豊) (11)

1. Saori Yuki and Sachiko Yasuda are counted as a duet. Solo appearances by either of the two would not count towards the duet count.

Notable foreign competitors on Kōhaku

Although Kōhaku is made up of mostly Japanese nationalized geinōjin

Geinōkai

The ' is the world of Japanese entertainment, encompassing everything from movies and television to radio and now the internet. Members of the Geinōkai are referred to as or tarento....

 in the geinōkai

Geinōkai

The ' is the world of Japanese entertainment, encompassing everything from movies and television to radio and now the internet. Members of the Geinōkai are referred to as or tarento....

, foreign artists (artists who are not Japanese nationals) popular in Japan have also competed in the program. Special appearances, supporting musicians or other methods of participation where the artist or group's performance was not accounted for in the overall scoring should not be added to this list. Below is a list of artists or groups who have done so, categorized based on the country of origin (Asian or non-Asian) the person or majority of the members in a group are from, along with the editions:

Asian

• Agnes Chan
  Agnes Chan
  Agnes Chan or Agnes Miling Kaneko Chan is a pop singer, a television personality , a Doctor of Education, a professor at Japanese universities, an essayist, a novelist...
  
   (Hong Kong
  Hong Kong
  Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
  
  , 24th through 26th)
• Alan Tam
  Alan Tam
  Wing Lun Alan Tam, MH is an award-winning Hong Kong Cantopop and English pop singer and actor. During the early 1980s he played a major role in developing the cantopop scene as he was known for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. As of 2008, he is still active in the music...
  
   (Hong Kong, 40th)
• Auyeung Fei Fei (Taiwan
  Taiwan
  Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
  
  , 23rd, 24th, 42nd)
• BoA
  BoA
  Boa Kwon , commonly stylized and known by her stage name BoA, which is a backronym for Beat of Angel, is a Korean singer, active in South Korea, Japan, and the United States and sometimes referred to as the "Queen of Korean Pop Music"....
  
   (South Korea
  South Korea
  The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
  
  , 53rd through 58th)
• Cho Yong-Pil
  Cho Yong-pil
  Cho Yong-pil is a South Korean pop singer born in 1950. Cho is considered to be the most influential figure in Korean pop music and has produced many memorable hits of Korean pop music history, including "Return to Busan Port," "Dear Friend," and "The Lady Outside the Window."-Early years:...
  
   (South Korea, 38th, 39th and 41st)
• Friends of Love the Earth (Amin Wu, China
  China
  Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
  
  ; Xu Ke, China
  China
  Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
  
  ; Lee Hyung-Joo, South Korea; and Dick Lee
  Dick Lee
  Richard "Dick" Lee Peng Boon is a Singaporean pop singer, composer, songwriter, and playwright. He is best known as a Singapore Idol judge, but often too as spokesperson for the New Asian generation....
  
  , Singapore
  Singapore
  Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
  
  , 56th)
• Gary Valenciano
  Gary Valenciano
  Edgardo Jose Martin Santiago Valenciano , better known as Gary Valenciano or Gary V., is a Filipino musician. He is also dubbed as Mr. Pure Energy. He has released 26 albums, and won the Awit Awards for "Best Male Performer" 11 times. In 1998, he became UNICEF Philippines first national Ambassador...
  
   (Philippines
  Philippines
  The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
  
  , 41st)
• Girls' Generation
  Girls' Generation
  Girls' Generation is a nine-member South Korean electropop girl group formed by S.M. Entertainment in 2007. The nine members are: Taeyeon , Jessica, Sunny, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, Yuri, Sooyoung, Yoona and Seohyun...
  
   (a. k. a. Shōjo Jidai; South Korea, 62nd)
• Judy Ongg
  Judy Ongg
  Judy Ongg is an actress, singer, author and woodblock-print artist from Taiwan. Born in Taipei, she graduated from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan, and after that, she changed her nationality from taiwanese into Japanese. Her career has spanned more than four decades.Judy made her film debut in...
  
   (Taiwan, 30th and 31st)
• Kim Yon-ja (South Korea, 40th and 45th)
• Kye Eun-sook (South Korea, 39th through 45th)
• Lee Jung Hyun (South Korea, 55th)
• KARA
  Kara (band)
  Kara is a popular South Korean girl group signed with DSP Media . The band name Kara comes from the Greek Word "chara" Kara (Hangul: 카라, Japanese: カラ, often stylized as KARA) is a popular South Korean girl group signed with DSP Media (DSP). The band name Kara comes from the Greek Word "chara" Kara...
  
   (South Korea, 62nd)
• Oyunna (Mongolia
  Mongolia
  Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
  
  , 41st)
• Patty Kim (South Korea, 40th)
• RYU
  Ryu
  * Ryū , a school of thought or discipline ., a book by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa* Ryū , a series by Masao Yajima and Akira Oze* Ryu , a common Korean family name...
  
   (South Korea, 55th)
• Smokey Mountain (Philippines, 42nd)
• Teresa Teng
  Teresa Teng
  Teresa Teng , was an immensely popular and influential Chinese pop singer from Taiwan. Teresa Teng's voice and songs are instantly recognized throughout East Asia and in areas with large Asian populations...
  
   (Taiwan, 36th, 37th and 42nd)
• TVXQ
  TVXQ
  TVXQ, an acronym for Tong Vfang Xien Qi , is a South Korean pop group formed in 2003 under SM Entertainment. In South Korea they are known as Dong Bang Shin Ki , often abbreviated by international fans as DBSK; they were later introduced in Japan as Tohoshinki under the Avex sub-label Rhythm Zone...
  
   (a. k. a. Tohoshinki; South Korea
  South Korea
  The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
  
  , 59th, 60th and 62nd)
• Twelve Girls Band
  Twelve Girls Band
  Twelve Girls Band are an all female Chinese musical group that initially consisted of twelve members before the addition of a thirteenth. Twelve Girls Band use traditional Chinese instruments to play both traditional Chinese and Western music. Formed on June 18, 2001, the women were selected by...
  
   (China, 54th)
• Vivian Hsu
  Vivian Hsu
  Vivian Hsu is a Taiwanese singer, actress, and model who has gained remarkable popularity in East Asia, mainly in Taiwan and Japan.Hsu rose to prominence in Japan, where she made her first appearance in 1995 and has become a highly-recognized celebrity with her countless appearances in media...
  
   (Taiwan
  Taiwan
  Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
  
  , 49th as member of Black Biscuit)

Non-Asian

• Alexander Gradsky
  Alexander Gradsky
  Alexander Borisovich Gradsky is a Russian rock singer, bard, multi-instrumentalist and composer. He was one of the earliest performers of rock music in Russia. His diverse repertoire includes rock 'n' roll, traditional folk songs performed with a rock twist, and operatic arias...
  
   (Russia
  Russia
  Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
  
  , 41st)
• Alfredo Casero
  Alfredo Casero
  Alfredo Casero is an Argentine musician, actor and comedian.Casero began studying acting with Norman Briski in 1987. Soon after he started working in the underground humour scene of Buenos Aires...
  
   (Argentina
  Argentina
  Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
  
  , 53rd)
• Alyson Williams
  Alyson Williams
  -Career:The daughter of bandleader / trumpeter Bobby Booker, she began her career by singing background vocals for various artists including, Curtis Hairston, Melba Moore , B. B. & Q. Band, Cashflow, Unlimited Touch, Bobby Brown and Barbara Mitchell before joining the group High Fashion, which also...
  
   (USA, 41st)
• Andy Williams
  Andy Williams
  Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams is an American singer who has recorded 18 Gold- and three Platinum-certified albums. He hosted The Andy Williams Show, a TV variety show, from 1962 to 1971, as well as numerous television specials, and owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri,...
  
   (USA, 42nd)
• Cyndi Lauper
  Cyndi Lauper
  Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
  
   (USA, 41st)
• Jero
  Jero
  Jerome Charles White, Jr. , better known by his stage name , is an enka singer of African-American and Japanese descent. He is the first black enka singer in Japanese music history.- Biography :...
  
   (USA, 59th and 60th)
• Laima Vaikule
  Laima Vaikule
  Laima Vaikule is a popular Latvian actress, singer, director and choreographer, best known in Europe and in the former USSR for such popular hits as "Vernisazh" and "Charley," among other songs....
  
   (Latvia
  Latvia
  Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
  
  , 42nd)
• Leah Dizon
  Leah Dizon
  Leah Dizon is an American-born former gaijin tarento, singer, and model in Japan. Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, she moved to Tokyo, Japan in 2006 to pursue a career in entertainment...
  
   (USA, 58th)
• Paul Simon
  Paul Simon
  Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
  
   (USA, 41st)
• Sarah Brightman
  Sarah Brightman
  Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
  
   (United Kingdom
  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
  
  , 42nd)

• Yuna Ito
  Yuna Ito
  is an American pop singer-songwriter and actress who is active in Japan.She was born in Los Angeles and was raised in Hawaii. Ito made her musical debut in Japan with the single, "Endless Story", which was used as one of the theme songs for the popular 2005 film Nana; she also starred in the film,...
  
   (USA, 56th)

External links

• Kōhaku Uta Gassen Official Page (Japanese)
• NHK Kōhaku on the NHK Digital Museum