It was announced on December 3rd that idol group AKB48 will be performing as a member of the Red Team at the 76th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen Gassen, which will be broadcast on New Year's Eve. This will be their 13th time performing, and their first time in six years since the 70th NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen in 2019.
AKB48 began activities in 2005 and will celebrate its 20th anniversary on December 8th this year. To commemorate the 20th anniversary, eight alumni members will appear at this year's Kohaku: Atsuko Maeda, Takahashi Minami, Kojima Haruna, Itano Tomomi, Minegishi Minami, Oshima Yuko, Kashiwagi Yuki, and Sashihara Rino. They will perform a special hit medley alongside current members. NHK has stated that "the songs will be announced as soon as they are decided."
The theme of the 76th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen is "Connecting, Connecting, New Year's Eve," and it will be hosted by Hiroiki Ariyoshi, Haruka Ayase, Mio Imada, and announcer Naoko Suzuki. It will be broadcast from 7:20 pm to 11:45 pm on December 31st (with some news breaks).
