Veteran Announcer Mai Demizu Takes Over N-Sta – The Reason Behind Her Appointment

A returnee who speaks fluent English

In late March, Chiaki Horan (36) will be stepping down from her role on N-Sta (TBS). By February 20, she appeared on the YouTube channel Ota Ueda, hosted by Cream Stew’s Shinya Ueda (54) and Bakushou Mondai’s Hikaru Ota (59), where she discussed her reasons for leaving:

“I’ve been doing this for eight years, but I felt like I wasn’t growing at all. At this point, I didn’t think I had anything more to contribute.”

“I couldn’t keep occupying such a valuable spot when I wasn’t satisfied with my own performance, so I decided to step away for now.”

The person taking over this valuable spot after Horan is TBS announcer Mai Demizu (41).

“A 20-year veteran at TBS, Demizu is actually a year senior to Takahiro Inoue (40), who will continue on N-Sta. Due to her father’s job, she spent her school years in the U.S. from fourth grade until her second year of high school. After returning to Japan, she attended International Christian University High School and later majored in foreign languages at Sophia University. She’s a fluent English-speaking returnee. During her student years, she was part of Cent. Force, a well-known talent agency for freelance announcers, and worked as a reporter and newscaster for TV Asahi and Sky PerfecTV. Even before joining TBS, she was recognized for her strong announcing skills and bright personality,” said a TBS insider.

After joining TBS, she quickly became a key player in reporting, covering sports for News 23 with Tetsuya Chikushi and working as a field reporter for World Athletics. In 2009, when Maya Kobayashi (45) left TBS, Demizu took over Osama no Brunch, Sekai Fushigi Hakken!, and The Iromonea, which became a big topic.

“Back then, she co-hosted Brunch with Shosuke Tanihara (52), who called her ‘Demi.’ At the same time, she was well-liked by seasoned professionals known for their high standards, like Hitoshi Kusano (81). She has a strong reputation for news reading and has handled news segments on GogoSmile and Houdou 1930. She’s also got nerves of steel—she’s unfazed even when comedians give her sharp comebacks and can respond skillfully. She’s got a rock-solid presence,” the insider added.