The 21 most-watched editions of NHK's Kōhaku Uta Gassen
The top 3 according to 113 votes from people: 14th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1963) · 13th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1962) · 23rd Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1972). (Updated Aug 23, 2025.)
NHK's New Year's Eve song contest Kōhaku Uta Gassen, ranked by TV rating: Video Research household ratings for the Kantō region, which go back to the 13th edition in 1962. The record is the 14th edition in 1963, with 81.4%. Every edition in the top 21 dates from the 1960s to the 1980s, when the show was broadcast in one part; since it was split into two parts in 1989, the second half has peaked at 57.2% (1998).
Automatically translated (original in 日本語). See the original
Top 21
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1
14th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1963)
Household rating: 81.4% (Video Research, Kantō region). Also known as the highest rating ever recorded by Video Research for any programme.
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2
13th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1962)
Household rating: 80.4% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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3
23rd Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1972)
Household rating: 80.6% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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4
31st Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1980)
Household rating: 71.1% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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5
24th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1973)
Household rating: 75.8% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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6
16th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1965)
Household rating: 78.1% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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7
22nd Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1971)
Household rating: 78.1% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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8
35th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1984)
Household rating: 78.1% (Video Research, Kantō region). The edition with Harumi Miyako's farewell performance before her retirement.
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9
15th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1964)
Household rating: 72.0% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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10
21st Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1970)
Household rating: 77.0% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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11
28th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1977)
Household rating: 77.0% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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12
30th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1979)
Household rating: 77.0% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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13
19th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1968)
Household rating: 76.9% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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14
25th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1974)
Household rating: 74.8% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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15
29th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1978)
Household rating: 72.2% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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16
27th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1976)
Household rating: 74.6% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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17
34th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1983)
Household rating: 74.2% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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18
26th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1975)
Household rating: 72.0% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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19
17th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1966)
Household rating: 74.0% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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20
32nd Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1981)
Household rating: 74.9% (Video Research, Kantō region).
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21
18th Kōhaku Uta Gassen (1967)
Household rating: 76.7% (Video Research, Kantō region).
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (1)
81.4%ってやばすぎ www 今じゃ絶対ありえない数字