NHK has announced the hosts and theme for the 77th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen, which will air live from NHK Hall in Tokyo on December 31 from 7:20 p.m. JST.

This year's hosts will be Mana Ashida, Masato Sakai, Kazunari Ninomiya, and NHK announcer Naoko Suzuki.

Ashida, who previously appeared on the program as a singer in 2011, will serve as host for the first time. Sakai, who has participated as a guest judge, will also make his hosting debut.

Ninomiya previously hosted the program as a member of Arashi from 2010 to 2014. This will mark his first hosting appearance in nine years.

The theme for this year's program is "Koete Ikou, Uta to Tomo ni" (Let's Overcome Together Through Song), reflecting the hope that music can help people overcome difficult times and look toward the future amid ongoing natural disasters and uncertainty in Japan.