Japanese television marks a milestone this New Year's Eve as public broadcaster NHK celebrates the 70th anniversary of its annual music show, "Kohaku Uta Gassen" ("Red and White Song Battle").
The program, which takes the form of a battle between musical artists separated into a red team and a white team, is set to welcome some of the year's biggest artists to its stage, alongside some veterans of the industry such as enka singer Hiroshi Itsuki, who will make his 49th appearance,
Da Pump is set to appear again, after making waves last year on the back of its giant hit, "U.S.A." It will be the group's seventh appearance. Meanwhile, the pop quota will be boosted by appearances from AKB48 and Perfume, both marking their 12th time to be involved with the show.
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