[instiz] ILLIT, WHY ARE K-POP IDOLS ON JAPAN'S 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE WAR STAGE? CONTROVERSY OVER APPEARANCE ON KOHAKU UTA GASSEN

Japan’s NHK year-end flagship music program Kohaku Uta Gassen has designated 2025 as a symbolic year marking the “80th anniversary of the end of the war,” placing peace and anti-war messages front and center. However, when viewed through the shared historical context of Korea and Japan, many critics say this planning intent raises questions.

Through its official website and local Japanese media coverage, NHK has emphasized that “2025 marks 80 years since Japan’s defeat in World War II,” highlighting both the broadcaster’s 100th anniversary and the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. Messages such as “music connects across eras, generations, and borders” are repeatedly presented.

The problem is that this “end of the war” narrative focuses primarily on Japan’s internal suffering and peace discourse. Japan has long foregrounded the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, emphasizing its identity as the world’s only country to have suffered atomic attacks. At the same time, it has faced criticism for comparatively downplaying reflection on its prior acts of aggression, colonial rule, and war crimes.

In fact, Japanese media are widely reporting that this year’s Kohaku Uta Gassen is likely to feature hosts and major performers from Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This has prompted criticism that, while speaking about war and peace, the program places more emotional weight on “victimhood” than on the history of perpetration.

Against this backdrop, the participation of Korean artists raises even more complex questions. It has been reported that aespa, &TEAM, and ILLIT are included in the lineup of Korean artists for the 2025 Kohaku Uta Gassen. While some view this as evidence of K-pop’s global stature, others worry that Korean singers may be used to reinforce Japan’s particular historical framing.

Especially if Korean artists are consumed as part of a celebratory stage that prominently brands itself as the “80th anniversary of the end of the war,” it is not a trivial concern that this could contribute to diluting Japan’s wartime responsibility. Messages that emphasize only “peace” and “reconciliation” without sufficient consensus and reflection on historical issues are bound to sound hollow from the perspective of victimized countries.

Kohaku Uta Gassen is a national event that represents Japanese society. For that very reason, it carries a heavy responsibility regarding historical awareness. Voices are growing louder that, before speaking of the 80th anniversary of the war’s end, Japan must first ask what it should reflect on, and what it must remember.

original post: here

1. The moment they shot an ad for Uniqlo, I could tell they were friendly towards Japan tsk tsk

2. Isn't 3 of ILLIT's members Japanese?

> 2 members

3. It's true that it's better for them not to go to Kohaku this year

4. From this article, you'd think ILLIT are the only ones going to Kohaku

5. ILLIT, aespa and &TEAM are all going though

6. This should've been stopped at the company level...

7. I thought they were able to perform in China...? Both sides are going insane

8. aespa is also going and they're ok with NingNing being Chinese. Anyways, both are impressive

9. Is ILLIT the only ones going? Why pull ILLIT's hair?

10. aespa is going too ^^