Maho Kuwako (桑子 真帆, Kuwako Maho, born May 30, 1987) is an announcer and news anchor at NHK, Japan's public broadcaster. She currently anchors NHK's Close-up Gendai current affairs program. Kuwako was born, raised, and educated in Kawasaki, Japan, and graduated from the School of Language and Culture Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS), where she majored in the Czech language.

Maho Kuwako
桑子 真帆
Born (1987-05-30) 30 May 1987 (age 37)
EducationTokyo University of Foreign Studies
Occupations
  • news anchor
  • television presenter
  • journalist
Years active2010–present
EmployerNHK
TelevisionClose-up Gendai (NHK General TV) anchor (2022-present)
NHK News Ohayō Nippon anchor (2020-2022)
News Watch 9 anchor (2017–2020)
News Check 11 anchor (2016–2017)
Bura Tamori host (2015–2016)
NHK News 7 newscaster (2015–2016)
Shutoken News 845 Newscaster (2015–2016)
Waratchao! (NHK BS Premium) navigator (2013–2015)
TitleNHK Announcer
Term2010–present
Spouse
(m. 2017; div. 2018)
(m. 2021)

Career

edit

Hired by NHK following her 2010 graduation from TUFS, Kuwako began her career at NHK Nagano, where she served three years as a temporary correspondent and a host for local programs. She then served in a similar capacity at NHK Hiroshima; Waratchao!, a program for preschoolers, was the first program to feature her regularly. In 2015 Kuwako was assigned to Tokyo and appointed to serve as the host's "assistant" (sidekick) on NHK's much-watched Bura Tamori travelogue, a move that boosted her profile nationally. She also appeared as a presenter on news shows like NHK News 7 and Shutoken News 845. Later Kuwako anchored News Check 11 with Yoshio Arima from April 2016 to March 2017, and from April she and Arima began anchoring News Watch 9. She stepped down from News Watch 9 in April 2020 and, trading places with Mayuko Wakuda, began anchoring NHK News Ohayō Nippon, an early-morning news program.[1][2] In 2020, Kuwako narrated the closing travelogue segment of the year's Taiga Drama, Kirin ga Kuru (English title: Awaiting Kirin), and starting hosting with Takeshi Kitano the infotainment show Takeshi no Sonotoki Camera wa Mawatte Ita (Takeshi Presents: Camera Was Rolling At That Time). NHK announced on February 9, 2022, that Kuwako would leave NHK News Ohayō Nippon in April and begin hosting a revived version of Close-up Gendai,[3] an in-depth current affairs program.

Personal life

edit

Kuwako married Shinichi Tanioka, a Fuji Television announcer, on her 30th birthday, May 30, 2017,[4] but Sankei Sports, a tabloid, reported that the couple had divorced just a year later.[5] Kuwako married actor Yukiyoshi Ozawa on September 1, 2021.[6]

Filmography

edit

Current programs

edit
Year Title Notes
2022 Close-up Gendai Host

Previous programs

edit

NHK Nagano (2010 – 2012)

edit
Television
edit
Year Title Notes Ref.
2012 You-Doki Network [7]
2012 Greater Tokyo Area Special Moderator
Radio
edit
Year Title Notes Ref.
2012 Koko wa furusato Tabisuru Radio [8][9][10][11]

NHK Hiroshima (2013 – 2015)

edit
Year Title Notes Ref.
2013 Ohayō Hiroshima [12]
2013 Waratchao! Programs first "navigator" [13]
2014 NHK News Ohayō Nippon Substitute anchor

NHK Tokyo (2015 – present)

edit
Year Title Notes Ref.
2015 NHK News 7 Substitute weekday anchor
2015 Bura Tamori "Assistant"
2016 News Check 11 Anchor
2017 News Watch 9 Anchor
2020 NHK News Ohayō Nippon Weekday anchor
2020 Takeshi no Sonotoki Camera wa Mawatte Ita Host
2022 73rd NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen Host [14]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "NHK、朝の和久田アナと夜の桑子アナを入れ替えへ". Asahi Shimbun. February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "2020年度「主な番組キャスター」一覧" (PDF). Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  3. ^ "2022年度番組主な新キャスター" (PDF). Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  4. ^ "NHK桑子アナがバースデー入籍 フジ谷岡アナと30日に". デイリースポーツ online. 株式会社デイリースポーツ. May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  5. ^ "NHK桑子アナ、フジ谷岡アナと離婚!バースデー婚からわずか1年". Sanspo.com. Sankei Digital Inc. May 31, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  6. ^ INC, SANKEI DIGITAL (2021-09-01). "小澤征悦&桑子真帆アナ結婚 父・小澤征爾の誕生日の1日にゴールイン". サンスポ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-09-01.
  7. ^ 行ってみたい!「ラストラン 長野電鉄屋代線」(長野県) | You-Doki | NHK(Internet Archive)
  8. ^ NHKラジオ第1 「ここはふるさと旅するラジオ」 Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine - July 2, 2012
  9. ^ NHKラジオ第1 「ここはふるさと旅するラジオ」 Archived 2014-07-14 at the Wayback Machine - July 3, 2012
  10. ^ NHKラジオ第1 「ここはふるさと旅するラジオ」 Archived 2014-07-15 at the Wayback Machine - July 4, 2012
  11. ^ NHKラジオ第1 「ここはふるさと旅するラジオ」 Archived 2014-12-14 at the Wayback Machine - July 5, 2012
  12. ^ 広島のみなさん、ありがとうございました! 桑子真帆 - NHK Hiroshima Branch@Announcer February 16, 2015(Internet Archive)
  13. ^ Also appeared in pilot version, which was broadcast twice in March 2013.
  14. ^ "『第73回NHK紅白歌合戦』司会に大泉洋&橋本環奈&櫻井翔&桑子真帆アナ 今年のテーマも発表【司会コメントあり】". oricon. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
edit
Media offices
Preceded by
Nachiko Shudo
Bura Tamori 3rd Co-Host
2015–2016
Succeeded by
Preceded by News Watch 9 Anchor
2017–2020
Succeeded by
Preceded by NHK News Ohayō Nippon Weekday Edition Anchor
2020–2022
Succeeded by
Nachiko Shudo
Preceded by
Yuki Inoue and Sayuri Hori
Close-up Gendai Host
2022–present
Incumbent