The Jan. 16 issue of Shukan Bunshun carries an article that lists and describes the 10 worst TV specials broadcast during the New Year's holidays. Coming up with a Worst 10 is not difficult, since practically any special broadcast during the New Year's break could qualify for a list of the 10 Worst Programs of the Year.
However, Shukan Bunshun's selection committee had the audacity to include in the list NHK's venerable New Year's Eve song contest, "Kohaku Utagassen," which is a certifiable Japanese institution, equal in cultural standing to the Emperor's New Year's appearance in front of the palace.
Bunshun is hardly a pillar of propriety, and the fact that the show was listed No. 10 on the list gives the impression that it may have been added as a token bit of status quo-bashing. But in truth "Kohaku" has been losing its critical exemption for more than a decade due to its increasing irrelevance to younger viewers.