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Nana Mizuki, AKB48, L'Arc-en-Ciel in New Year's Kōhaku

The Japanese public television broadcaster NHK has announced the artist lineup for this year's Kōhaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle), the New Year's Eve singing contest that is Japan's most viewed music television program. This year's lineup includes the second consecutive performance of Nana Mizuki, the first appearances of AAA and Kana Nishino, the all-female idol group AKB48, the rock bands L'Arc-en-Ciel and Porno Graffiti, perennial performers Ayumi Hamasaki and Akiko Wada, and the all-male groups Arashi, Exile, SMAP, and TOKIO. The NHK-General, NHK Digital Satellite Hi-Vision, and NHK BS2 channels will run the program from 7:30 to 11:45 p.m. on New Year's Eve.

The lineup is as follows:

Red Team:

• aiko (9th appearance)
• Angela Aki (5)
• Ikimono Gakari (3)
• Sayuri Ishikawa (33)
• Kana Uemura (1)
• AKB48 (3)
• Miyuki Kawanaka (23)
• Kumiko (1)
• Kumi Koda (6)
• Natsuko Godai (17)
• Sachiko Kobayashi (32)
• Fuyumi Sakamoto (22)
• Yoshimi Tendo (15)
• DREAMS COME TRUE (14)
• Mitsuko Nakamura (15)
• Kana Nishino (1)
• Ayumi Hamasaki (12)
• Perfume (3)
• Ayaka Hirahara (7)
• Nana Mizuki (2)
• Kaori Mizumori (8)
• Akiko Wada (34)

White Team:

• Arashi (2nd appearance)
• Hiroshi Itsuki (40)
• HY (1)
• EXILE (6)
• NYC (2)
• Yuzo Kayama (17)
• Saburo Kitajima (47)
• Hiromi Go (23)
• Kobukuro (6)
• SMAP (18)
• TOKIO (17)
• Hideaki Tokunaga (5)
• AAA (1)
• Kiyoshi Hikawa (11)
• FUNKY MONKEY BABYS (2)
• Masaharu Fukuyama (3)
• flumpool (2)
• Takashi Hosokawa (34)
• Porno Graffiti (9)
• Shinichi Mori (43)
• Yusuke (2)
• L'Arc-en-Ciel (4)

Source: Tokyograph