Two University of Tokyo Graduates Poised for Broadcasting Success

The first female horse racing commentator.

When you think of female announcers who graduated from the University of Tokyo, names like Kyoko Sasaki (51), the head of the announcer department at Fuji TV, Mayuko Wakuda (36) from NHK, and Takako Zenba (49), who moved from NHK to TBS and took over Sunday Morning from Hiroshi Sekiguchi, come to mind.

“While many men from the University of Tokyo work in TV station production staff, there are only a few women who are announcers at each network. The network and viewers tend to be cautious, and as a result, these women haven’t been able to stand out as much” (TV station staff).

However, recently, two University of Tokyo graduate female announcers have begun to gain attention.

“One is Rina Shinohara (28) from TBS. She had been known for her intellectual character as a University of Tokyo graduate on Sunday Japon. She used a whiteboard to explain economic news and political issues, but she couldn’t stand out as much as some of the other female announcers with stronger characters, and she gradually disappeared from the program. Then, I started seeing her regularly on THE TIME, where she did early morning gourmet segments.

Shinohara often covered ramen shops, and her noodle-slurping became a big hit in the studio every time. However, many people, both inside and outside the station, said, ‘What a waste, she’s a University of Tokyo graduate.’ I thought it would be difficult for her to rise to prominence, but then she made history by becoming the first woman to do horse racing commentary, which was introduced by Shinichiro Azumi (51) on THE TIME, praising her as someone who pulled off a big job and calling her a reliable presence” (staff).

Shinohara also writes a column for Nikkan Sports where she predicts G1 race outcomes. Her predictions, based on past data, have been well-received, and her future contributions are highly anticipated.

The other University of Tokyo graduate announcer, who graduated in the same year and joined Fuji TV, is Marino Fujimoto (29), who currently serves as the fifth main anchor on Mr. Sunday.