Akina Nakamori Returns to NHK Studio Singing After 17 Years for Three TV Specials

Three Programs Connect Early Hits With a New Concert Tour

Akina Nakamori's first singing performance in an NHK studio in 17 years will feature in a series of three television programs beginning October 24, 2026. The broadcasts will combine footage from the first five years of her recording career, newly recorded interviews and performances from her first concert tour in 20 years.

The series opens with SONGS Special: Akina Nakamori, Akina All-Time Best, airing on NHK General from 8:07 to 8:52 p.m. A separate 89 minute concert program, Akina Nakamori Live 2026, follows on October 31 on BS Premium 4K, with another broadcast on NHK BS on November 7. A second SONGS special, Songs I Want to Share Now, airs November 12. Reported broadcast listings confirm that each SONGS special runs for 45 minutes and each concert broadcast runs for 89 minutes.

The concert broadcast will include footage from additional tour performances held September 19 and 20. Tickets for the concerts being presented on television reportedly sold out immediately after going on sale, giving the broadcasts particular value for fans who could not attend.

Nakamori debuted in 1982 and is approaching her 45th anniversary as a recording artist in 2027. The programs will look at different parts of that career: the songs that established her, her return to touring, and her current feelings about performing and the people who continue to support her.

The October Special Revisits Her First Five Years

Despite its broad title, Akina All-Time Best has a specific focus: hit songs released during the first five years following Nakamori's 1982 debut. NHK's archive footage will accompany the retrospective, bringing earlier television performances into a program that also includes her present voice.

Newly filmed interviews will give Nakamori space to discuss individual songs and recall episodes from the period when they were released. The format brings together the performances preserved in the archive and her memories of making and singing those songs.

The 45 minute special will also feature her first singing performance in an NHK studio in 17 years. That description refers to the interval since she last sang in the broadcaster's studio, not an absence from every kind of performance or television appearance.

The program announcement does not identify the complete song selection or specify how many songs she will sing in the studio. It also does not say the performance will happen during the transmission itself. A studio singing performance and a program being streamed as it airs are separate parts of the announcement.

A Familiar Studio Brings Back Personal Memories

For Nakamori, returning to NHK was also a return to surroundings associated with her earlier career. The singer said the studio and dressing room felt unchanged, prompting memories of her frequent appearances on music programs such as Let's Go Young.

Describing the experience in her statement about the specials, Nakamori said:

It felt like coming back to my hometown, or to my family home.

Her recollection gives the archive footage a personal connection. The October program will revisit performances from her early years while placing her back in a television environment she remembers from that period.

That sense of familiarity is distinct from the milestone of returning after 17 years. Her comments describe the studio as a place connected with routine appearances and remembered experiences, rather than simply a venue for a new performance.

The Concert Film Draws on September Performances

Akina Nakamori Live 2026 will present footage from the September 19 and 20 additional performances of her first concert tour in two decades. Its initial broadcast is scheduled for October 31 from 7:00 to 8:29 p.m. on BS Premium 4K.

The tour reportedly featured hits from across her career, including songs dating to her debut period, with arrangements that retained the feel of their original versions. That approach connects the concert film with the October retrospective, although the two programs serve different purposes: one revisits early recordings and television appearances, while the other shows how she performs her repertoire now.

The concert program will also air on NHK BS on November 7 from 9:00 to 10:29 p.m. Both scheduled broadcasts last 89 minutes. They are two transmissions of the same named program, not separate additions to the three program series.

The announcement does not give the complete concert set list, the venue, or details of how footage from the two September dates will be combined. An 89 minute television slot also does not establish whether the broadcast will include an entire concert without edits.

Nakamori Describes the Audience Giving Her Energy

Nakamori said she was able to sing through this year's concert with a selection of songs and a structure she loved. Her comments also placed the audience at the center of her experience of the performances.

The singer described the feeling she received from the crowd in these words:

It was as though everyone in the audience was saying, 'We'll sing in your place.'

She was describing her impression of the audience's support, rather than reporting a verified statement from an individual concertgoer. She said the venue felt united and that the concert gave her energy.

Nakamori also thanked those who attended and those who supported her. That gratitude links the concert program to the November SONGS special, which will explore her feelings toward fans alongside changes in her own outlook. The performances and interviews will approach that relationship from different angles, through the experience of being on stage and through her reflections afterward.

The November Special Focuses on Her Present Outlook

SONGS Special: Akina Nakamori, Songs I Want to Share Now will air on NHK General on November 12 from 10:00 to 10:45 p.m. Its focus moves away from the early career retrospective toward her recent activity and thoughts about what comes next.

Over roughly the past three years, Nakamori has shared her singing and messages through various media appearances and live performances. The special will trace changes in her feelings through events and episodes that marked stages in that activity, while examining her gratitude toward fans who have continued to support her.

It will also include moments behind the scenes in the studio and on stage. Those sequences will sit alongside her discussion of new encounters, the discoveries they have brought, and what she is looking forward to before her 45th anniversary.

The anniversary is a point of reference for the interview, not an announcement of a specific anniversary concert, release or tour. No such plans are detailed in the program descriptions. The confirmed next steps are the scheduled broadcasts, where Nakamori will speak about her present position and future in her own words.

Broadcast Dates and Streaming Access

The three programs have four television broadcast dates because the concert film will be shown on two satellite channels. All times below are Japan Standard Time.

• September 19 and 20, 2026: Additional tour performances featured in the concert program.
• October 24, 2026, 8:07 to 8:52 p.m.: Akina All-Time Best on NHK General.
• October 31, 2026, 7:00 to 8:29 p.m.: Akina Nakamori Live 2026 on BS Premium 4K.
• November 7, 2026, 9:00 to 10:29 p.m.: Akina Nakamori Live 2026 on NHK BS.
• November 12, 2026, 10:00 to 10:45 p.m.: Songs I Want to Share Now on NHK General.

Both SONGS specials are scheduled to be available on NHK ONE simultaneously with their television broadcasts and for one week afterward. Equivalent streaming arrangements have not been specified for the concert program.

Together, the three distinct programs occupy 179 minutes of scheduled television time: two 45 minute SONGS specials and one 89 minute concert film. Their sequence moves from early hits to a recent stage performance, then to Nakamori's reflections on the period leading toward her anniversary.

At a Glance

• Nakamori will sing in an NHK studio for the first time in 17 years in the October 24 SONGS special.
• The opening program combines early career archive footage with newly recorded interviews.
• The concert film includes footage from September 19 and 20 performances on her first tour in 20 years.
• Akina Nakamori Live 2026 airs October 31 on BS Premium 4K and November 7 on NHK BS.
• The November 12 special explores her recent outlook, fan support and thoughts before her 45th anniversary in 2027.
• Both SONGS programs will stream on NHK ONE as they air and remain available for one week.