AKB48 invited to perform on [62nd Kouhaku Uta Gassen]

NHK has just unveiled the performers for the 62nd Kouhaku Uta Gassen, the biggest musical event in Japan. 

AKB48 is among the guests invited for this year's Kouhaku, appearing in the yearly concert for their 4th time. There is currently no word if AKB48's sister groups SKE48, NMB48, HKT48 or SDN48 will perform in Kouhaku along with AKB48.

I's surprised that SKE48 was not invited on their own. Since the theme for this year';s Kouhaku is "1231 Ashita wo utaou" (Let’s sing for tomorrow), I was expecting them to do a Kouhaku version of their song 1!2!3!4! Yoroshiku!.

AKB48 is also working as the "Kouhaku Supporters", along with Terry Ito.
http://melosnomichi.blogspot.com/2011/10/akb48-chosen-as-kouhaku-supporter.html

The Kouhaku Uta Gassen is a concert where the invitees are split into 2 Teams, Red Team (female) and White Team (male), where they will compete against each other through singing. The winning Team is selected by the audience and a panel of judges.

For 6 years since 2005, the White Team has been dominating Kouhaku. AKB48 has grown quite a lot in popularity since last year, with all their Singles selling over a million. Will that be enough to push the Red Team up? Frankly I doubt so.


The 62nd Kouhaku Uta Gassen will air on New Year's Eve from 19:15 ~ 23:45PM JST, hosted by Inoue Mao and JE group Arashi.



Official Wesite: http://www9.nhk.or.jp/kouhaku/

Red Team (紅組)	White Team (白組)
aiko Ashida Mana Ayaka Angela Aki Ikimono Gakari Ishikawa Sayuri AKB48 KARA Kawanaka Miyuki Kanda Sayaka Koda Kumi Godai Natsuko Kobayashi Sachiko Sakamoto Fuyumi Shiina Ringo Shoujo Jidai Tendo Yoshimi Natsukawa Rimi Nishino Kana Perfume Hamasaki Ayumi Hirahara Ayaka Fuji Ayako Matsuda Seiko Matsutoya Yumi Mizuki Nana Mizumori Kaori Wada Akiko	Akikawa Masafumi Arashi Itsuki Hiroshi Inawashirokos EXILE NYC Kitajima Saburo Go Hiromi Suzuki Fuku SMAP Sen Masao Tohoshinki TOKIO Tokunaga Hideaki AAA Nagauchi Tsuyoshi Nishida Toshiyuki Hikawa Kiyoshi Hirai Ken FUNKY MONKEY BABYS Fukuyama Masaharu flumpool Hosokawa Takashi Porno Graffitti Mori Shinichi Yuzu L’Arc~en~Ciel

romanised by Tokyograph