Many new faces to make debut in Japan's 70th 'Kohaku' New Year's Eve music contest

TOKYO -- The lineup for the traditional New Year's Eve music show "Kohaku Uta Gassen" (Red and white song battle) was announced by public broadcaster NHK on Nov. 14.

Seven-member boy band GENERATIONS, 26-year-old actor and singer Masaki Suda, popular Johnny & Associates Inc. boy band Kis-My-Ft2, four-member piano pop band Official HIGE DANdism and four others will make their first appearance on the show.

The 70th Kohaku Uta Gassen will be broadcast on NHK General TV, Radio 1, BS4K and BS8K from 7:15 p.m. on Dec. 31.

Below is the full lineup for the 2019 Kohaku Uta Gassen singing contest (the figures in parenthesis represent the number of the individual/group's appearances in the annual contest):

Red team

aiko (14)

Ikimonogakari (11)

Sayuri Ishikawa (42)

AKB48 (12)

Midori Oka (3)

Keyakizaka46 (4)

Fuyumi Sakamoto (31)

Ringo Sheena (7)

Aya Shimazu (6)

Superfly (4)

Yoshimi Tendo (24)

TWICE (3)

Nogizaka46 (5)

Perfume (12)

Hinatazaka46 (first appearance)

Foorin (first appearance)

Seiko Matsuda (23)

MISIA (4)

Kaori Mizumori (17)

LiSA (first appearance)

Little Glee Monster (3)

***

White team

Arashi (11)

Hiroshi Itsuki (49)

Official HIGE DANdism (first appearance)

Kanjani Eight (8)

Kis-My-Ft2 (first appearance)

King & Prince (2)

King Gnu (first appearance)

Hiromi Go (32)

GENERATIONS (first appearance)

Junretsu (2)

Masaki Suda (first appearance)

DA PUMP (7)

Kiyoshi Hikawa (20)

Masaharu Fukuyama (12)

Hey!Say!JUMP (3)

Gen Hoshino (5)

Daichi Miura (3)

Hiroshi Miyama (5)

Keisuke Yamauchi (5)

Yuzu (10)

(Japanese original by Tomonori Matsuo, Cultural News Department)