A 2012 winds down, everyone in Japan is getting ready for the entertainment event of the year, the Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Year-End Song Festival), when the top bands that had been active in Japan over the year will have a great “song battle” on December 31st. But this year no bands from South Korea have been invited to the event, which has raised the ire of the Korean government, who accused Japan’s national broadcaster NHK of slighting them because of the Dokdo/Takeshima island dispute, which flared up when South Korean President Lee visited the islands and made some unkind comments about Japan’s Emperor. NHK denies any politics are at play, pointing out that there were no breakout hits by Korean artists in the Japanese music market this year, and even the legendary Gangnam Style failed to gain much traction in Japan, in part because it didn’t live up to the high aesthetic quality most K-POP fans here prefer. So if you were holding your breath waiting to see AKB48 and PSY together on stage in the hallowed NHK hall, unfortunately it looks like it won’t be happening. I certainly hope 2013 is a warmer year for Japanese-Korean relations than this year has been.
No awesome sing-song Korean accents to be heard at this year’s Kouhaku? Sad panda!
