The House of Representatives election will be held on February 8th. We have compiled a list of special election programs that will be broadcast by commercial broadcasters starting just before 8pm on the same day, when voting closes.
◇Nippon Television "Zero Election 2026"
Nippon Television will broadcast "Zero Election 2026" from 7:58 PM, with Takahiko Fujii and Sho Sakurai from "News Zero" as the main anchors. The two-part program, sandwiched between "Going!" at 11:55 PM, will run until 2:30 AM, making it the longest-running special program on a commercial channel. Based on the theme of "Thinking on Election Night: Is It Real?", which was also the theme for last July's House of Councillors election, the program will explore the election results and the impact social media has had on this year's election campaign. Furthermore, Nippon Television News 24 will continue to air a special House of Representatives election program after 2 AM until 4:30 AM the following morning.
◇TV Asahi "Election Station 2026 & Udo Times"
TV Asahi will broadcast "Election Station 2026 & Udo Times" for approximately four hours. Starting at 7:50 pm, "Election Station 2026" will feature a team-up between news station anchor Okoshi Kensuke and Wide! Scramble announcer Oshita Yoko, with Okoshi providing live coverage of the voices of each party leader, and Oshita providing commentary on how to view the election. "Udo Times," which starts at 11 pm, will feature commentary from TV Asahi's political department's Prime Minister's Office reporter, Chijiwa Morio, as well as anchor Udo Yumiko's unique perspective on voters' choices.
◇TBS "Election Day 2026"
TBS will broadcast "Election Day 2026" from 7:53 PM to midnight. The lineup includes special anchor Ota Hikaru from Bakusho Mondai, general host Inoue Takahiro from N-Sta, anchor Izumi Mai from N-Sta, and special host Ishii Ryoji from Gogosuma. In order to respond to each and every viewer's desire to know the details, they will focus on the election results, which are of greatest interest to them, and will provide faster and more accurate information on the nationwide vote counting situation and results than anywhere else.
◇TV Tokyo "Election Satellite 2026"
TV Tokyo has been drawing attention for its unique approach in various situations. For this election special, they are waging a "unique battle," programming a two-hour pre-election special on the 7th, the day before the election, following on from the much talked about pre-election special program that was aired in July last year. The vote count special will be broadcast for three and a half hours from 7:55 pm on the 8th, which is also different from the Upper House election, which had regular programs in between. Izawa Takuji will join the lineup of "World Business Satellite," which includes announcer Tanaka Hitomi, anchor Toyoshima Shinsaku, and announcer Takezaki, as a special election anchor. The program will also be live-streamed on YouTube's "TV Tokyo BIZ Digest," and Shinohara Hiroaki, the former Prime Minister's Office reporter who made a name for himself in previous election specials, will appear on the program.
◇Fuji TV "Live Election Sunday"
Fuji TV will broadcast "Live Election Sunday" from 7:58 PM until midnight for approximately four hours. Billed as the first "viewer participation" election special in the show's history, viewers will be invited to vote on "what they would like to ask the party leaders." The main casters will be "Mr. Sunday" host Seiji Miyane and "Live News It!" host Manami Miyaji, while Takemata Beni and Kamigaki Kotaro will be in charge of the election results. Also joining the studio as guests will be former Osaka Governor Toru Hashimoto, political journalists Akiko Iwata, Aika Kanda, and Yumepote.
