Japan's New Year's Eve television music contest between red and white teams is Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
Kōhaku Uta Gassen, often called Kōhaku, is an annual Japanese music program broadcast by NHK on New Year's Eve. Performers are divided into a red team, traditionally associated with female artists, and a white team, traditionally associated with male artists. The teams compete through musical performances, with judges and audience participation contributing to the result.
The first edition was broadcast in 1951 as a radio program. It moved to television in 1953 and became one of Japan's most prominent year-end broadcasts. The program features popular singers and groups, elaborate staging, and appearances by major Japanese entertainers.
Kōhaku is a television competition, not the Japan Record Awards. It is also not limited to a single genre: its lineup can include pop, rock, traditional music, and other styles. The red-and-white format is the feature that gives the program its distinctive identity.