Who’s Japan’s Favorite Female Announcer? Rising Stars to Watch Amid a Shortage of Young Talent
Special Entertainment Program - Part 2
Who is currently the most popular female announcer? To directly tackle this question, FRIDAY conducted a large-scale survey. The respondents were precisely 1,000 male and female readers of this magazine aged 20 and over. Each was asked to name their top three favorite announcers from among all the female announcers at the key commercial networks.
Votes for 1st place were worth 5 points, 2nd place 3 points, and 3rd place 1 point. The points were tallied to create a ranking of the top 100 announcers.
As a result, network-leading faces like Asami Miura (38) from Nippon TV, Seika Inoue (30) from Fuji TV, and Yoko Oshita (55) from TV Asahi occupied the top ranks.
However, while some announcers ranked lower in the middle to bottom ranges, there are young talents who TV insiders and watchers expect to break out in the near future.
In this special feature part two, we’ll introduce these up-and-coming young female announcers whose future achievements are highly anticipated.
The most promising up-and-coming announcers from each network
“I have my eye on Kyoko Nango (24), ranked 36th. Despite only joining TBS in 2023, she’s already been entrusted with hosting duties on the network’s flagship morning show THE TIME,. She’s shown impressive fluency when reading news scripts and isn’t afraid to tackle more lighthearted, hands-on assignments — like trying foot reflexology on the official TBS YouTube channel. Within TBS, she’s reportedly highly regarded as a potential successor to Mako Tamura.”
“Fuji TV’s Aoi Harada (25, ranked 53rd) is known for her airheaded moments — once famously misreading the word nantosotsu as nanisotsu, drawing some criticism — but on Pokapoka, she wins over viewers and castmates alike with her natural idol-like charm. If she’s placed in the right roles on daytime infotainment shows or variety programs, I think she could quickly take the next step up,” said a producer from a key network’s news program.
Television insiders are also closely watching Sara Suzuki (25, ranked 86th) from TV Asahi.
“Since October 2022, she’s been serving as the sub-MC for Music Station, and even stepped in as a substitute on Gekirea-san wo Tsuretekita while Ayaka Hironaka was on maternity leave. She’s praised for her adorable looks and unshakable composure in the face of unexpected situations. Higher-ups reportedly see her as a raw talent who, with some polish, could become the next Hironaka. It seems the plan is to continue placing her in variety and music programs rather than hard news going forward,” said a director at a key network variety show.
Minami Nakahara (25, ranked 31st) is being called TV Tokyo’s next ace.
“She was the runner-up in the 2020 Miss Keio SFC pageant and had already attracted attention before joining the network. Since April of last year, she’s been appointed MC of Shutsubotsu! Adomachiikku Tengoku, known as a gateway program for female announcers at TV Tokyo. In the future, she might become a versatile figure like Mariko Oe (46), who’s leaving the network at the end of June and is known for handling both news and variety shows,” said entertainment critic Takeshi Misugi.
One announcer who’s recently seen a surge in popularity is Mai Demizu (41, ranked 22nd) from TBS.
“The big turning point was being appointed main newscaster for N-STA starting March 31st, succeeding Chiaki Horan (36). Having lived in the United States for many years, she’s fluent in English and a highly accomplished talent, having attended ICU High School and then Sophia University. Alongside her veteran-level, steady announcing skills, she also shows a playful side on social media, posting humorous skits. Until recently, she’d been more active on BS-TBS and other platforms, but her role on N-STA has sparked a resurgence in her appeal. I’m looking forward to seeing what she does next,” said TV writer Mihoko Yamada.
The issue of a shortage of young talent
What becomes clear when looking across the entire ranking is the shortage of young talent. Each network continues to rely on their 30-something marquee announcers and is struggling to cultivate the next generation of star announcers.
“In the end, it’s a battle for name recognition, so it’s somewhat inevitable that veterans and mid-career announcers remain strong. However, considering that the youngest person in the Top 10 is Tanaka at nearly 30 years old, it’s urgent for every network to start developing younger talent. Especially at Nippon TV, where even Kuroda Miyu (26), once seen as Mitō’s successor, fell to 82nd place,” commented announcer critic Daijiro Maruyama.
It’s been eight years since Mitō became the undisputed queen of the “Favorite Female Announcer Ranking.” There’s hope that a new queen might emerge from this latest Top 100.
From “FRIDAY” June 6-13, 2025
PHOTO： Kumataro Arai (Harada) Sankei Shimbun (Suzuki)
