Japan’s widely-watched year-end TV show will feature only Japanese acts this year, with popular South Korean performers left out of the line-up amid ongoing political tensions between the Korean and Japanese governments.
Three major year-end music award shows including FNS Music Awards, Best Hit Music Awards, and Kohaku Uta Gassen or “Red and White Song Battle” on NHK will feature no Korean performers this year.
It marked a stark contrast to last year, when KARA and 2NE1 performed at the Best Hit Music Awards, while KARA, TVXQ and Girls’ Generation all took part in the FNS Music Awards.