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.

Isn’t it Demizu-san?

In 2021, something notable happened. Demizu had been a regular on Saturday Wide Radio Tokyo: Knights’ Chaki Chaki Big Broadcast (TBS Radio) since 2015, but in June of that year, freelance announcer Ayako Kato (39) got married. During a live broadcast, Noriyuki Hanawa (46) of the comedy duo Knights jokingly pointed out that Demizu’s ex-boyfriend was actually Kato’s husband, a businessman.

“Demizu calmly responded, ‘You’re coming at me out of nowhere,’ and then, with a smile, added, ‘I deeply regret dampening the joy of someone’s happy new beginning.’ Her reaction became a major talking point. Just recently, on the same radio program, while reading a news story about a female TBS announcer attending a dinner with former talent Masahiro Nakai, journalist Gonzalez Maruyama (47) asked, ‘Wasn’t that you, Demizu?’ Without hesitation, she immediately replied, ‘Yes, that’s right.’ Her confident and composed response once again demonstrated her ability to remain unfazed and handle any situation with poise,” said a media watcher specializing in announcers.

Selecting Demizu as Horin’s successor may seem reasonable, but currently, evening news programs on commercial networks are undergoing a trend of younger anchors replacing older ones. Why, then, was a veteran announcer chosen in this case?

“Nippon TV’s news every. saw a decline in viewership after replacing veteran anchors Takahiko Fujii (53) and Kimiko Jinnai (60) with Nana Suzue (44) and Keisuke Mori (46). This clearly shows that older viewers prioritize the stability of the main anchors. The majority of viewers at that time slot belong to the F3 and M3 demographics (women and men aged 50 and older). A more detailed analysis reveals that the core audience consists of F4 and M4 viewers (women and men aged 65 and older). Mai Demizu, who has long served as an assistant on Sekai Fushigi Hakken! (Discovery of the World’s Mysteries), enjoys strong popularity among this age group. 

Additionally, N-Sta has Ayu Yamauchi (48), a 25-year veteran at TBS and a mother of three who will turn 49 in April. Like Demizu, she has skillfully handled variety shows and has a relatable, down-to-earth image that makes her especially popular among housewives. Their synergy is expected to bring even more stability to the program. Furthermore, N-Sta features Masatoshi Namba (36), who recently saw a major rise in the Favorite Announcer Rankings (published by ORICON NEWS in December 2024). With a strong lineup of in-house announcers, N-Sta appears to have a solid chance of surpassing news every. in the battle for evening news dominance. Some are even predicting that N-Sta will emerge as the ultimate winner in the evening news war,” said a staff member from the news program.

On the official N Sta homepage, Demizu shared her thoughts:

“I’ve taken on this challenge at the age of fuwaku (the age of no doubt), but in reality, I still find myself confused and uncertain at times. I’ll give my all to fulfill my role as my authentic, unfiltered self.”

Both the industry and viewers have high expectations for her.