Who Is Chiaki Kuroki? Jiro Shinbo Speaks Out on the Rising Announcer Tapped to Succeed Miyaneya

Becoming the Secretary on “Sokomade Itte Iinkai NP”

With host Seiji Miyane (63) retiring, “Information Live Miyane-ya” (Nippon Television Network, produced by Yomiuri TV) will end at the end of September.

There has been talk that the successor program will be titled “News to” (working title), and the lineup of its presenters has now been revealed.

Yomiuri TV announcer Chiaki Kuroki (32) will serve as MC from Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, SUPER EIGHT member Shingo Murakami (44) will take the role, with Kuroki also scheduled to participate every other week.

In the competing afternoon wide-show lineup, “Gogosuma -GO GO! Smile!” (TBS), hosted by Ryoji Ishii (49), and “Toretate!” (Fuji TV), hosted by Genta Aoki (43), are engaged in fierce competition. The new program is entering the fray as the successor to “Miyane-ya,” which had been something of a heavyweight in the time slot, and the pressure appears to be immense.

“Even though the flagship program ‘Miyane-ya’ is ending, it was a relief for Yomiuri TV that production can continue to be based in Osaka. If Nippon TV had taken back the broadcast slot, talented staff would have been left without work. There were concerns within the station that the lineage of staff continuing from ‘The Wide’ (jointly produced by Yomiuri TV and Nippon TV) could be significantly disrupted. That is why the new program absolutely cannot afford to fail.” (Yomiuri TV producer)

In fact, “Miyane-ya” is Yomiuri TV’s top program in terms of revenue. If Nippon TV had demanded that the station give back that time slot, it could have shaken the very foundations of the network.

“There seems to have been fierce behind-the-scenes tug-of-war, but in the end, Nippon TV probably didn’t have enough manpower to launch a new two-hour program. Since the successor isn’t ending because of poor ratings or other problems with the program itself, almost the entire staff—from the senior executives of ‘Miyane-ya’ down to the assistant directors—will simply carry over to produce the successor program. With so many veterans, the content should be more than satisfactory.” (The aforementioned producer)

Miyane, a highly recognizable figure with a strong personality, is leaving. Even if the powerful talent Shingo Murakami takes charge on Fridays, Kuroki, a station announcer, will have to shoulder Monday through Thursday.

Kuroki was given the major opportunity to serve as Miyane’s successor in supporting this time slot. When we looked into why she was selected, it became clear why the station was willing to make such a major gamble on her.

“Kuroki became the sub-anchor of the evening news program ‘Kansai Information Network ten.’ (Kansai regional broadcast) in 2017, and she began to make a name for herself around that time. Her willingness to boldly challenge even major guests without being intimidated proved popular, and in 2019 she was chosen as the assistant on our popular program ‘Sokomade Itte Iinkai NP’ (Kansai regional broadcast).” (Yomiuri TV information-program source)

On “Iinkai”, where panelists debate current affairs such as politics and social issues, Kuroki served as the secretary assisting Jiro Shinbo (70), who acted as the program’s host under the title of chairman. When Shinbo left the program in 2021, Kuroki was remarkably promoted to chairman.

She wasn’t a prominent figure when she joined the station

“There were quite a few surprised reactions within the station when Kuroki became the chairman. After all, the previous hosts were Takajin Yashiki and Shinbo, who was essentially the face of the station. People thought that bringing together sharp-tongued commentators such as Toru Hashimoto, Yasutaka Takeda, Heizo Takenaka, and Shinichiro Suda would be difficult unless the host had a certain level of seniority. But even when they got carried away, Kuroki’s ability as an MC was remarkable—she could calm them down or cut through their arguments decisively and bring everything together. By winning over these older male commentators with their strong personalities, her internal reputation skyrocketed. These days, you even hear people say she is the most capable announcer at the station.” (The aforementioned information-program source)

There is no doubt that her success on “Iinkai” played a major role in her being chosen as Miyane’s successor. Even after becoming the MC of the new program, she is reportedly set to continue hosting “Iinkai,” which is recorded on Fridays.

We therefore asked Jiro Shinbo, a veteran announcer at Yomiuri TV and Kuroki’s senior, who worked alongside her on “Iinkai” in a chairman-and-secretary pairing, about Kuroki’s true character.

“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Kuroki is how exceptionally good she was at responding in conversation compared with other announcers. She has a lot of life experience and knows a great deal about the subtleties of the world. When she first joined the station, she wasn’t exceptionally beautiful or particularly cute, so she wasn’t a very noticeable presence. At a time when many female announcers are essentially used up by their 20s, being entrusted with a nationwide afternoon network program is truly remarkable. There is no doubt that she is Yomiuri TV’s ace announcer. From my perspective, she was an obvious choice.”

Shinbo, who has hosted numerous programs himself, also offered Kuroki some advice:

“Being the successor to someone as formidable as Miyane, viewers will naturally compare the two, and she will probably be conscious of it herself. But I want her not to be weighed down by the fact that she is following Miyane and instead stick to her own style. If she does that, I think viewers will follow her. I believe she is capable of that much.”

At present, “Miyane-ya” and “Gogosuma” are engaged in a fierce ratings battle. Although Kuroki is not yet a nationally recognized name, it would be wonderful to see her put her own stamp on the program and turn it into a “Kuroki-ya” that surpasses “Miyane-ya.”