Japan in Theo's Song Contest

Japan participated in Theo's Song Contest in every single edition since edition 1. It has one once, in edition 9, with hostings yet to be confirmed.

## Country

### National Selection Events

National Final (Blooming Fest)Internal Selection

## Background

Theo's Song Contest is a international fan contest based on Eurovision held by the fictional Theo's Broadcasting Union (TBU). Each country is claimed by real people, and they send a song, the people then vote for their countries favourite song. Since the beginning, Theo's Song Contest has been open to every country that has sent in an application. Japan is what is known as an "Automatic Entrant" which means that is guaranteed a spot in the contest.

## Edition 1 participation

Japan's participation in Theo's Song Contest started in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam. The song was chosen by the TBS Television, and this was the only song they chose.

The song selected was "ごめんね ごめんね" by Japanese Vocaloid artist Kikuo. The song is a J-pop song, With a very disturbing meaning. The song is about rape, assault and abuse, focusing on a young girl and her father. On stage, Kikuo was accompanied by a bedroom which he danced around when he sang. The backdrop was of a white wall. The song performed 10th in semi-final 1. The song did not qualify for the Grand Final. TBS had backlash for choosing a song with such a disturbing meaning, that they stated that they were to stop broadcasting Theo's Song Contest, and wanted to withdraw from the contest. NHK however, picked up the contest and is now broadcasting the competition and selecting the songs chosen for their National Finals.

Points awarded by Japan at Theo's Song Contest edition 1
 10 points
 8 points
 7 points
 6 points
 5 points
 4 points
 2 points
 1 point

## Edition 2 participation

After the (quote from NHK) "Disaster of a song" Japan returned to show that they are capable of music without involving abuse in Melbourne, Australia.

The song selected was "Stay With Me" by Miki Matsubara, a song from the late 1970s. The song is a western-influenced, jazzy song about loneliness and desire for companionship. On stage, Matsubara was accompanied with backup dancers, dancing around the stage and no special props. The backdrop was light pink. Matsubara performed 15th in Semi-Final 2, and came 7th with 16 points. In the Grand Final, Matsubara performed 13th and came 13th with 109 points.

Points awarded by Japan at Theo's Song Contest edition 2
 10 points
 8 points
 7 points
 5 points
 4 points
 3 points
 2 points
 1 point

## Edition 3 participation

NHK chose Japan's song for Edition 3, set in London, United Kingdom.

The song selected was "Dynasty" by Rina Sawayama. The song is a gothic metal song about intergenerational pain. On stage, Sawayama was accompanied with a live band. The backdrop was red flashing lights. Sawayama performed 14th in the Second Semi-Final and did not qualify for the Grand Final. NHK did not submit their points in time meaning that they would've been disqualified even if they qualified.

## Edition 4 participation

Japan competed again in Edition 4, which was in Athens, Greece. This was the first time that Japan did a National Final, called "Nagasaki Song Festival"

The winner of "Nagasaki Song Festival" was global band ALI with their song "LOST IN PARADISE", which is the ending theme of Japanese anime Jujutsu Kaisen, who created a Japan-only anime version of the songs live performance to promote both the song and Anime. The song is a J-Rock song about trying to find peace in life despite struggles. On stage, ALI were accompanied with all the instruments for their band and the red things from their music video. The backdrop was red. ALI performed 11th in the Second Semi-Final, coming in 6th with 23. The song then performed 13th in the Grand Final, coming 9th overall with 133 points.

Points awarded by Japan at Theo's Song Contest edition 4
 10 points
 8 points
 7 points
 6 points
 5 points
 4 points
 3 points
 2 points
 1 point

## Edition 5 participation

NHK used an Internal Selection for their Edition 5 participation, held in Lyon, France.

The band selected to represent Japan was RADWIMPS with their song "Yumetourou", which translates to "Dream Lantern" in English. The song is a rock song about love in dimensions. Additionally, the song was used as one of the songs in Japanese anime movie "Kimi No Na Wa" which translates to "Your Name" In English. Like most bands, RADWIMPS were accompanied with musical instruments needed to play their song. The backdrop was of a night sky with a comet, hand drawn by Masashi Ando from the movie where the song played. The song performed 6th in Semi-Final 2, coming 5th with 38 points, qualifying for the Grand Final. Japan then performed 5th in the Grand Final, coming in 7th with a total of 138 points.

Points awarded by Japan at Theo's Song Contest edition 5
 10 points
 8 points
 7 points
 6 points
 5 points
 3 points
 2 points
 1 point

## Edition 6 participation

Japan competed in Edition 6 of Theo's Song Contest, hosted in Manchester, United Kingdom

The song chosen to represent Japan was called "Half" by Interactive Music Game Milgram. Milgram is the name of the YouTube Channel, which shows interactive videos on YouTube showing a group of prisoners, and people have to vote if that prisoner is innocent or guilty. The person behind Milgram performed the song live. The song is a ballad song about being in a complex relationship with someone. On stage, Milgram was accompanied with a projector that projected parts of the "Half" music video onto the backdrop. The song performed 2nd in the First semi-final and failed to qualify, coming 12th with 33 points.

Points awarded by Japan at Theo's Song Contest edition 6
 10 points
 7 points
 6 points
 5 points
 4 points
 3 points
 2 points

## Edition 7 participation

NHK used their National Final "Nagasaki Song Festival" to choose their song for Corfu, Greece.

The artist that won was duet group YAOSABI with their song "夜に駆ける". The song is a J-pop song about unrequited love. On stage, YAOSABI were accompanied with a band to play live, and an elevated platform for Lilas Ikuta, the main singer, to stand on. The backdrop was constantly changing between shades of red, pink and yellow. The song performed 4th on the second semi-final, and came 14th with 16 points, failing to qualify.

Points awarded by Japan at Theo's Song Contest edition 7
 10 points
 8 points
 7 points
 6 points
 5 points
 4 points
 2 points
 1 point

## Edition 8 participation

NHK used a new National Final "Blooming Fest" to choose their song for Glasgow, United Kingdom.

The artist that won was band Mrs. GREEN APPLE with their song "Ao To Natsu". The song is a J-rock song about being carefree. On stage, Mrs. GREEN APPLE were accompanied with all the equipment for their band to play live. The backdrop was white. The song was asked to be apart of the Glasgow Big 5, however, it failed to be the automatic qualifier. The song performed 14th on the second semi-final, and came 13th with 23 points, failing to qualify.

Points awarded by Japan at Theo's Song Contest edition 8
 10 points
 8 points
 7 points
 5 points
 4 points
 3 points
 1 point

## Edition 9 participation

NHK Internally Selected their artist for Edition 9, hosted in Brisbane, Australia

They chose duet group YAOSABI with their song "アイドル" as their artist. This led to public outcry, as they failed to qualify Japan in the past (More mentioned here). The song is a J-pop song about idols and how it can be toxic to put them on a pedestal. On stage, YAOSABI were accompanied with Backing dances, and an elevated platform for Lilas Ikuta, the main singer, to stand on. The backdrop was mainly purple, with it turning strobe for some parts of the song, along with some pyro. The song performed 4th on the first semi-final, the same place YAOSABI was edition 7, however this time they won their semi-final with 104 points, breaking the record set by Wolfmother edition 8 by four points. The song performed 5th in the Grand Final, winning it all with 233 points, beating out runner up Ukraine by one point.

Points awarded by Japan at Theo's Song Contest edition 9
 10 points
 8 points
 7 points
 6 points
 5 points
 4 points
 2 points
 1 point