ABC TV's new announcer makes debut

New announcers Mitsuyo Kubo and Mayu Shingai, who joined ABC Television in April, will be appearing on a program for the first time on June 17th. They attended a press conference and introduced themselves along with Shinpei Kitamura, the senior announcer who was in charge of their training.

Kubo, who hails from the port town of Yobuko in Saga Prefecture, excited the audience with his shocking self-introduction: "Actually, my ancestors were pirates." They weren't the kind of pirates who attacked ships, but rather people with a free and open spirit who actively adopted foreign culture and technology through trade, which was prohibited during the isolationist era. "I'll do my best with the pioneering spirit of a descendant of pirates," he said enthusiastically.

Originally from Fukuoka City, Shingai was a member of the water skiing club during his university days, and introduced himself by saying, "I'm good at riding the waves, but I'm also good at getting into a fun groove." His hobby is "drinking alcohol," and when he gets drunk, he reveals his playful side by saying, "I call out the Okinawan 'Aiyaiyasasa' song and always try my best to liven up the atmosphere (laughs)." His special skills are improvisational piano playing, composing piano music, and Go. He started playing the piano at around the age of two, and is so skilled that he won first place in a national competition.

Both of them are from Kyushu, and Kubo has spent time in Fukuoka, so when they talk together, they "basically speak in Hakata dialect." Their favorite baseball team is the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, but since joining ABC, they said that their love for the Hanshin Tigers has also been steadily growing.

Shingai said with a smile, "I felt the incredible passion of the Hanshin fans. I was exposed to the Hanshin love of my seniors every day, so I naturally wanted to support the team myself (laughs)." Kubo said, "I learned 'Rokko Oroshi' (from my senior, Yuji Nakamura) as vocal training. Even now, we sing it together (with Shingai)," revealing the unique training that can only be done at an Osaka broadcasting station, and added with a smile, "I'm slowly becoming a Hanshin fan."

On June 17th, the two will appear on "Good Morning Asahi" at 7am and ABC Radio's "Good Morning Personality Ogata Yusuke" at 8am, before making their "first appearance" (a newcomer's first on-air announcement) on ABC Radio News (at around 10:07am, 11:00am, 1:10pm, and 2:20pm). They will also appear in the opening of the radio program "Beyond the Backside, It's Urakawa" from 3pm.

◇New announcer profile

Kubo Mitsuyo: Born November 18, 2001, from Yobuko Town, Saga Prefecture. Nicknames: "Kubo-chan" and "Micchan." Hobbies: salt collecting, tea ceremony, archery, golf, water sports, traveling alone around the world. Special skill: can sense crow droppings falling. "My first choice is a variety show, and I would also like to do "Asa Da! Live Travel Salad" and "Detective! Night Scoop." In the future, once I become a more trusted announcer, I would like to try my hand at news programs."

Shingai Mayu: Born January 11, 2003, from Fukuoka City. Nicknames are "Mayuyu" and "Shinkai". Hobbies are traveling, singing and drinking. Special skills are improvisational piano playing, composing piano music and Go. "I'm a very greedy person, so if I could be entrusted with information programs, variety shows, sports and news, I would really like to do it (laughs). My biggest goal right now is "Netto Koshien" and "M-1 Grand Prix". I've always played the piano with the aim of becoming the best in Japan, so I hope that one day I will be able to convey in my own words the thoughts and images of people who put their all into one thing and devote their lives to it."