# 61st NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen

The 61st NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen (第61回NHK紅白歌合戦), referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku", aired on December 31, 2010, from NHK Hall in Japan.
This was the last time the Kōhaku was broadcast in analog television transmission. As of July 24, 2011 the digital television switchover throughout Japan will occur, when analog signals (both terrestrial/over-the-air and satellite) will be shut off and rendered obsolete. As such, the 62nd Kōhaku (on December 31, 2011) will be the first time the Kōhaku to be broadcast entirely in digital. The 61st Kōhaku was broadcast in Hi-Vision (high definition) between 19:30 and 23:45, with a five-minute break for news between 21:25 and 21:30.

## Timeline

All events listed below occurred in 2010.

### October 14

    Date and time of broadcast announced. Theme announced as "Bonding through songs".

### October 26

    The mascots for Kohaku announced Uta♪Ukki-

### November 3

    Team leaders announced as Matsushita Nao for the red team and Arashi for the white team. This marks the first instance of a group (Arashi) being in charge of a team.

### November 17

    Announcement of the organizational group and radio broadcasting details on the official Kohaku Twitter.

### November 24

    Selected participants announced streaming on the internet and on live TV.

### November 29

    Start of the recruiting for the judges in the audience.

## Performers

The singers, announced on November 24, 2010, are ordered below according to the gojūon. Names in bold letters did not perform in the preceding year's program.
| Red Team | Red Team | White Team | White Team |
| Singer / Group Name | Appearances | Singer / Group Name | Appearances |
| aiko | 9 | Arashi | 2 |
| Angela Aki | 5 | Hiroshi Itsuki | 40 |
| Ikimono-gakari | 4 | HY | Debut |
| Sayuri Ishikawa | 33 | Exile | 6 |
| Kana Uemura | Debut | NYC | 2 |
| AKB48 | 3 | Yūzō Kayama | 17 |
| Miyuki Kawanaka | 23 | Saburō Kitajima | 47 |
| Kumiko | Debut | Hiromi Go | 23 |
| Kumi Koda | 6 | Kobukuro | 6 |
| Natsuko Godai | 17 | SMAP | 18 |
| Sachiko Kobayashi | 32 | Tokio | 17 |
| Fuyumi Sakamoto | 22 | Hideaki Tokunaga | 5 |
| Yoshimi Tendō | 15 | AAA | Debut |
| Dreams Come True | 14 | Kiyoshi Hikawa | 11 |
| Mitsuko Nakamura | 15 | Funky Monkey Babys | 2 |
| Kana Nishino | Debut | Masaharu Fukuyama | 3 |
| Perfume | 3 | Flumpool | 2 |
| Ayumi Hamasaki | 12 | Takashi Hosokawa | 34 |
| Ayaka Hirahara | 7 | Porno Graffitti | 9 |
| Nana Mizuki | 2 | Shinichi Mori | 43 |
| Kaori Mizumori | 8 | Yusuke Kamiji | 2 |
| Akiko Wada | 34 | L'Arc-en-Ciel | 4 |

### Performance listing

| Red Team | Red Team | White Team | White Team |
| Singer | Song | Singer | Song |
| First-half ||||
| Ayumi Hamasaki (12) | "Virgin Road" | Exile (6) | "I Wish For You" |
| AKB48 (3) | Kōhaku 2010 AKB48 Kamikyokutachi SP | NYC (2) | "Yoku Asobi Yoku Manabe 100% NYC" |
| Angela Aki (5) | "Kagayaku Hito" | AAA (debut) | "Aitai Riyū" |
| Mitsuko Nakamura (15) | "Kawachi Otoko Bushi" | Flumpool (2) | "Kimi ni Todoke" |
| Ayaka Hirahara (7) | "Voyagers" | Yusuke (2) | "Hito" |
| Natsuko Godai (17) | "Hitori Zake" | Takashi Hosokawa (34) | "Naniwabushi da yo Jinsei wa" |
| Kana Nishino (debut) | "Best Friend" | Porno Graffitti (9) | "Kimi wa 100%" |
| Miyuki Kawanaka (23) | "Nirinkusa" | Funky Monkey Babys (2) | "Ato Hitotsu" |
| Kumiko (debut) | "Inori" | HY (debut) | "Toki wo Koe" |
| Kaori Mizumori (8) | "Matsushima Kikō" | Hideaki Tokunaga (5) | "Toki no Nagare ni Mi wo Makase" |
| Nana Mizuki (2) | "Phantom Minds" | L'Arc-en-Ciel (4) | "Bless" |
| Yoshimi Tendo (15) | "Jinsei Michizure" | Shinichi Mori (43) | "Erimo Misaki" |
| Second-half ||||
| aiko (9) | "Mukai Awase" | Hiromi Go (23) | Go!Go!Year Kōhaku Special Medley |
| Perfume (3) | "Nee" | Tokio (17) | "Advance" |
| Kumi Koda (6) | Kumi Koda 2010 Special Medley | Hiroshi Itsuki (40) | "Oshiroi Hana" |
| Akiko Wada (34) | Akkoii! Kōhaku 2010 Special | Yūzō Kayama (17) | Wakadaisho 50-nen! Special Medley |
| Sachiko Kobayashi (32) | "Kaachan no Hitorigoto" | Masaharu Fukuyama (3) | "Michishirube" |
| Kana Uemura (debut) | "Toilet no Kamisama" | Kobukuro (6) | "Ryūsei" |
| | | Arashi (2) | 2010 Kōhaku Original Medley |
| Ikimono-gakari (3) | "Arigatō" | Arashi (2) | 2010 Kōhaku Original Medley |
| Sayuri Ishikawa (33) | "Amagi Goe" | Saburō Kitajima (47) | "Fusetsu Nagare Tabi" |
| Fuyumi Sakamoto (22) | "Mata Kimi ni Koishiteru" | Kiyoshi Hikawa (11) | "Nijiiro no Bayon" |
| Dreams Come True | "Ikite Yuku no Desu" feat. The Kōhaku Special Brass Band | SMAP (18) | "This is Love" '10 SP Medley |

## Results

The winners were the white team, making it their 6th consecutive win since 2005 (the last red team win was in 2004). The table below documents the voting and points distribution:
| Method | Red Team | White Team | Total |
| Total votes | 367,645 votes | 418,191 votes | 785,836 votes |
| Number of votes via cellular phone | 29,460 votes | 51,543 votes | 81,003 votes |
| Number of votes via 1seg | 57,559 votes | 69,343 votes | 126,902 votes |
| Number of votes via digital TV poll | 279,894 votes | 295,637 votes | 575,531 votes |
| Number of votes by NHK Hall audience (including judges) | 732 votes | 1,668 votes | 2,400 votes |