Aぇ! group Wins First Kōhaku Appearance After Breakthrough Year in Music and Film

Four members join NHK's New Year's Eve lineup

Aぇ! group will make its first appearance at the 77th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen on December 31, 2026, following a year that included a single selling more than 500,000 copies, a starring film and the group's first overseas performance. NHK announced the selection on November 13 at its headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo.

The four members, Yoshinori Masakado, Seiya Suezawa, Ken Kojima and Masaya Sano, join a lineup of 41 competing acts: 20 on the Red Team and 21 on the White Team. Aぇ! group is among five newcomers on the White Team and seven across the two teams.

For a group formed in February 2019 that made its CD debut on May 15, 2024, the invitation arrives roughly seven years after its formation and two and a half years after its first single. Its route to the broadcast has combined idol performances, playing as a band, acting and appearances on variety programs.

The members said they learned about their selection that morning at Universal's headquarters. By the time they faced reporters at NHK, Sano was already talking about a much larger ambition: eventually delivering the final performance of the show.

A surprise announcement and two kinds of celebration

Suezawa described a meeting that became unusual when senior executives whom the members rarely see arrived and cameras were suddenly set up. He sensed an announcement was coming, then discovered it was their first Kōhaku invitation.

Sano and Masakado celebrated with a high five, a gesture Sano described as rare enough to require an occasion like Kōhaku. Kojima and Suezawa reacted more quietly, saying they had exchanged an imagined high five in their minds.

The contrast carried into the press conference, where the members struck their familiar pose based on the group's name. Sano called on photographers to capture them prominently, bringing their usual humor to the formal announcement.

Sano, speaking as a member of Aぇ! group, then described the selection in ambitious terms. In translation, he said:

Today marks the first day of the story that will lead to Aぇ! group someday closing Kōhaku!

The closing slot is the final performance in the program's running order. Sano presented it as a future goal, while the group's immediate task is to prepare for its first appearance.

Seven years from Kansai Juniors to Kōhaku

Aぇ! group began in February 2019, when its members were Kansai Juniors, developing their careers through music, stage performances and television work. The group now belongs to STARTO Entertainment.

March 2024 brought a major milestone before its recording debut. Its first standalone fan meeting at Kyocera Dome Osaka drew approximately 100,000 people over two days, and the group announced its CD debut there. That attendance shows the scale of the audience it had built before releasing its first single.

The main steps toward the New Year's Eve appearance span several years:

• February 2019: Aぇ! group forms while its members are Kansai Juniors.
• March 2024: Around 100,000 people attend its first standalone fan meeting over two days at Kyocera Dome Osaka.
• May 15, 2024: The group makes its CD debut with "《A》BEGINNING."
• February 25, 2025: The group makes its first appearance on NHK's Uta Con.
• June 2026: Its Osomatsu-san film opens, accompanied by the theme song "Dekoboko Life."
• October 2026: The group performs overseas for the first time at a festival in Incheon, South Korea.
• November 4, 2026: The single "Emotion" is released.
• November 13, 2026: NHK announces the group's first Kōhaku appearance.
• December 31, 2026: The group is scheduled to perform in the 77th Kōhaku.

Two singles show the scale of its music year

"Dekoboko Life," the group's fourth single and the theme song for its Osomatsu-san film, exceeded 500,000 sales. The release connected its recording work with a film featuring the members in leading roles.

"Emotion," released on November 4, sold 497,000 copies in its first week. It also marked a musical milestone: the group used a band song as the title track of a single for the first time. A title track is the main song around which a single is promoted.

The two figures describe different sales periods. "Emotion" reached 497,000 in its opening week, while the figure exceeding 500,000 for "Dekoboko Life" refers to accumulated sales. Together, they show substantial demand for two releases arriving at different points in the year.

The band format gives Aぇ! group another way to present itself alongside its idol performances. Its members had already played as a band and appeared at music festivals before "Emotion" placed that side of their work at the center of a single release.

Film roles and a first overseas stage broaden its reach

The film Osomatsu-san: Humanity's Degeneration Plan!!!!!? opened in June 2026 with the members in starring roles. Its connection to "Dekoboko Life" gave audiences two linked ways to encounter the group, through the cinema and through the soundtrack.

October brought its first overseas stage at Xnterstellar Music Festival 2026 in Incheon, South Korea. The appearance extended a year already divided among recording, acting and live performances beyond Japan.

Suezawa also shared the lead with Hayato Isomura in the film mentor, released in October. He played Takumi Kamitani, a young man haunted by a fire caused while playing with fireworks as a boy. The role earned him a nomination for the newcomer award at the 51st Hochi Film Awards.

Masakado and Kojima have also worked across drama, film and variety television. The Kōhaku invitation therefore follows a year in which audiences could encounter the members separately as actors and television personalities, as well as together through music.

Sano brings a familiar morning drama face to the show

Sano appeared in NHK's morning drama Kaze, Kaoru during the first half of the 2026 broadcast year. He played Kenjiro Shimada, known as Shima Ken, a trusted confidant of Rin Ichinose, the heroine played by Ai Mikami.

The role gave him a connection with viewers who might know his character before knowing his music. At the press conference, Sano said people still addressed him by the character's nickname in the street after the drama had finished.

Sano also expressed interest in joining a Kōhaku segment connected with the morning drama. The group's song choice and any participation by Sano in such a segment had not been announced at the press conference.

Aぇ! group's relationship with NHK music programming includes its February 25, 2025, appearance on Uta Con. It was the first STARTO Entertainment act to appear on that program, making the Kōhaku selection a further step in its presence on the broadcaster's music shows.

A gift for fans and a celebration for one grandmother

Sano described the invitation as something the group hoped to give back to its supporters. In translation, the Aぇ! group member said:

We are a group that has been able to keep going because our fans support us, so I hope this can be a wonderful present at the end of the year as one way of giving something back to them.

He also connected the announcement to his grandmother. She had cried with happiness when the group debuted, he said, and again when he told her at the beginning of 2026 that he would appear in the morning drama.

The Kōhaku invitation added another family celebration to that sequence. Sano joked about how emotional the year had become for her and said the four members wanted to give their best so she could finish it smiling and head into 2027 happily.

His remarks linked the scale of the broadcast to two concrete audiences: the fans who had supported the group before its recording debut, and family members who had followed each new step. He also said he hoped the appearance would introduce Aぇ! group to people encountering it for the first time.

Seven newcomers join a lineup spanning generations

Aぇ! group will share its first Kōhaku with White Team newcomers Ayumu Imazu, EBiDAN, Macaroni Empitsu and Monaki. On the Red Team, =LOVE and CUTIE STREET are making their first appearances.

Seven newcomers among 41 competing acts represent about 17% of the lineup. The White Team has five newcomers among 21 acts, compared with two among 20 on the Red Team. The program places those new arrivals alongside artists with decades of Kōhaku experience.

Sayuri Ishikawa is listed for her 49th appearance, while Fuyumi Sakamoto is making her 38th and Yoshimi Tendo her 31st. Other performers are returning after long absences: Mizue Takada after 42 years, TM NETWORK after 38 years, Ryoko Moriyama after 21 years and T.M.Revolution after 12 years.

Koshi Inaba of B'z is also scheduled to appear in a special segment, performing "Touch." His appearance is listed separately from the 41 Red and White Team acts.

NHK's selection process centers on three considerations: an artist's activity during the year, public support and the program's planning and presentation. Reference material includes CD sales, downloads, karaoke and wired music service figures, live performance records and surveys. Aぇ! group's year includes achievements across several of those areas, from record sales to live appearances.

When the broadcast airs and who will host

The 77th Kōhaku is scheduled for December 31, from 7:20 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. Japan time, with a news interruption. The broadcast window is four hours and 25 minutes. It will air on NHK General, BSP4K and BS8K, with radio coverage and streaming on NHK Plus also announced.

Masato Sakai, Kazunari Ninomiya, Mana Ashida and NHK announcer Naoko Suzuki will host. Sakai and Ashida are hosting for the first time. Ninomiya returns as an individual host for the second time, nine years after his previous turn, while Suzuki hosts for a third consecutive year.

The theme, "Koete ikou, uta to tomo ni," can be translated as "Let's move beyond, together with song." NHK connects it with finding hope through music amid disasters and uncertainty, and with bringing people together across generations and borders.

Kōhaku combines performances with a Red Team versus White Team contest. The White Team won the previous edition for its second consecutive victory, bringing the cumulative tally to 42 White Team wins and 34 Red Team wins.

For Aぇ! group, the next scheduled milestone is the December 31 broadcast itself. Its first appearance will bring together the music, band performances and television recognition that have marked its progress since its 2024 recording debut.

Key Points

• Aぇ! group will make its first Kōhaku appearance on December 31, 2026, following NHK's November 13 announcement in Tokyo.
• The four members join 21 White Team acts in a competing lineup of 41 performers.
• "Dekoboko Life" exceeded 500,000 sales, while "Emotion" sold 497,000 copies in its first week.
• The group's year included an Osomatsu-san film, its first overseas stage in Incheon and Sano's role in Kaze, Kaoru.
• The performance song and any morning drama segment involving Sano were unannounced at the press conference.
• The broadcast is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. Japan time on New Year's Eve.