The conflict between Japan and South Korea over Takeshima/Dokdo has spilled over into the entertainment realm. Some Korean actors and K-pop stars have stated publicly that the group of islets belongs to Korea, causing Masayuki Matsumoto, the president of NHK, to express concern. Last month he hinted to the press that the public broadcaster's big New Year's Eve event, the song contest "Kohahu Utagassen," might not invite any Korean artists this year.

In the tabloids, however, the K-pop issue has less import than the Sachiko Kobayashi question. Referred to as the "queen of enka" (traditional Japanese balladry), Kobayashi has appeared on "Kohaku" for the last 33 years without a break. Cynics say her longevity is all about the suspense surrounding her costumes, which get more outrageous every year, rather than the quality of her singing, but in any case a "Kohaku" without Kobayashi is like a news cycle without Shintaro Ishihara: You feel the absence even if you don't care. Showbiz insiders think NHK will unfriend Kobayashi because of a scandal in which she has been involved since the spring.

The media has always stood by the belief that NHK doesn't countenance scandal, but Kobayashi is scheduled to appear in November on its regular BS pop concert program, so if she was asked to sing there it would seem to indicate that NHK doesn't consider her poison. But it could also have something to do with the nature of the scandal, which is less about bad behavior than the media sticking its collective nose into business dealings that, since we're talking about the business of show, they believe is their business as well.