Kuji, Wakuda, Saito Chiharu… The sorrows and joys of “graduation and transfer” of famous female announcers
The ace announcer will leave Fuji Television Network, where she has worked for five years, at the end of April.
Akiko Kuji, 27, announced her “graduation” from Fuji in January of this year. She made the following comments through sports newspapers and other media.
I realized that I am 27 years old. I have a big desire to try something new.
Kuji was a remarkable presence while a student at Aoyama Gakuin University. She worked as a model for the fashion magazine “non-no” and the “Asahi Kasei Group Campaign.” In April 2005, she joined Fuji and was selected as a sports anchor for “Mezamashi TV” in her first year. He became the youngest person ever to be appointed as the main anchor of “Mezamashi Saturday,” making him Fuji’s ace in both name and reality. However, …….
It seemed as if she was going to be the main anchor for “Mezamashi TV” because she became the main anchor for “Mezamashi Saturday,” but she was not. However, in March of last year, the main anchor was selected by Inoue Seika, one year Kuji’s junior. The first time this happened was in 1983.
This meant that the lineage of the signature announcer passed from Kuji to Inoue. Kuji must have been devastated. Many Fuji employees believe that this was one of the reasons she left the station.
Kuji will graduate from Fuji and go freelance. It is likely that Kuji will expand her activities to include modeling and acting in addition to announcing.
The Background Behind the Loss of the “Face of NHK
The “Face of NHK” will no longer be in charge of programs.
Mayuko Wakuda, 33, left “News Watch 9” at the end of March. The internet has been filled with lamentations over the “Waku Mayu Loss.
She will likely take on the role of special program host and narrator from April. There is no reason for any problems. It is probably NHK’s intention to have her take some time off. The highly popular Wakuda has been pulled from a number of important programs. Not only for “News Watch 9,” but also for specials on the Tokyo Olympics and as the host of the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Singing Contest), she was always on the air.
Wakuda got married in February 2007, but her busy schedule makes it difficult for her to spend time relaxing with her husband. Her partner is a star athlete of Waseda University’s race team. He is one of the most handsome men in the world of ekiden, and contributed greatly to Waseda University’s victory in the 2011 Hakone Ekiden. After graduating from the university, he joined one of the five major trading companies. He met Wakuda through a friend after he entered the workforce,” said an NHK staffer.
Another ace, Maho Kuwako, 34, will become the anchor of the news program “Close-Up Today.
Previously, Yuko Kuniya was the anchor for this NHK signature program. You can see NHK’s high expectations for this program. Kuwako also has a great deal of responsibility.
Kuwako is the mischievous type who mistook the “opening ceremony” for the “closing ceremony” of the PyeongChang Olympics in February 2006. Her friendly atmosphere has been well received by viewers. She has appeared in many variety shows, such as “Bratamori,” so we may see a new side of her when she takes on a news program.
The female announcers are off to a mixed start. Whatever path they choose, viewers are rooting for them!
Photographed by: Sota Shima Ichiro Takatsuka Keisuke Nishi Shinya Nishizaki