NHK’s Decision to Select Kenji Ozawa’s Partner in a Secret Hotel Meeting

This year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen is said to have accelerated the generational change.

Hiroshi Itsuki, who had participated in the event for 50 consecutive years, the longest streak in history, withdrew from the event. Akiko Wada, whose song “YONA YONA DANCE” was released in September and became a hit among young people on “TikTok,” was not selected.

The lineup for the red group was Nogizaka46, Hyugaizaka46, Sakurazaka46, and NiziU, while the white group was Kanjani∞, KAT-TUN, King & Prince, Sixtones, and SnowMan.

It seems that NHK is now very concerned about the viewership of the core group (13 to 49 years old), not the older generation.

Awesome City Club, a three-member group popular among young people, was also expected to participate in the show for a long time, but they made it for the first time.

To be honest, I was surprised that they were chosen. To be honest, I was surprised that they were chosen, because PORIN, the vocalist with trademark blue hair, was scooped by the Weekly Bunshun in June this year when he was having a secret meeting with singer Kenji Ozawa at a hotel.

Ozawa married an American woman in 2009, and they have two sons. When he was single, he was a popular guy who was reported to be dating actresses such as Eri Fukatsu, Mayu Tsuruta, and Marina Watanabe. He is a singer-songwriter who had a string of hit songs in the 1990s, including “Lovely” and “Strong Feelings, Strong Love,” and is also an intellectual with a degree in literature from the University of Tokyo.

PORIN was close enough to Ozawa to appear on YouTube with him, but it was suspected that their relationship went beyond that. According to reports at the time, Ozawa entered the hotel after buying some liquor, and PORIN later visited the hotel, but there were many guests in the lobby, so he turned on his heel and left the hotel.

Then Mr. Ozawa also left the hotel and met up with Mr. PORIN at the second hotel. They have been meeting secretly on a regular basis for some time, and it is said that they have been dating for almost three years.

PORIN was sluggish under direct attack, but his office denied that they were having an affair. The office denied that they were having an affair. Incidentally, the Ozawa side has not made any comments to date, including their own.

If it was a meeting, it could have been at the office or at a restaurant, but the fact that the two of them were alone in a hotel after buying alcohol, and that they even went to a second hotel to avoid being seen, is “highly suspicious. It was “suspicious”.

There must have been a great deal of hesitation on NHK’s part to select PORIN for the national TV program “Kohaku”. Even so, they decided to include him in the program because they thought he would be fine.

The same is true for PORIN’s group. No matter how popular they are, it would have been impossible for them to participate if they were from a small agency. The fact that the group consists of two men and Ms. PORIN, and yet they were allowed to perform in the Red group means that NHK considers her to be the main attraction. I think NHK wanted to use her as a trump card to attract the younger generation, but they were also in a tug-of-war over whether it was ethical to do so.

It would not be surprising if some viewers had doubts as well. Unlike commercial broadcasters, viewers pay a subscription fee to watch NHK,” said a sports reporter.

According to Bunshun, PORIN was told by Ozawa that they were “discussing a divorce,” but there is still no word on Ozawa’s divorce. I wonder how the intellectual artists will feel when they watch Kohaku…