“Nude-looking clothes spark controversy”: NHK’s “true intention” in selecting Anna Nakagawa to cover the Paris Olympics: “She has the potential to be successful overseas” and “It was decided long ago”

“Nude-looking clothes spark controversy”: NHK’s “true intention” in selecting Anna Nakagawa to cover the Paris Olympics: “She has the potential to be successful overseas” and “It was decided long ago”
NHK announcer Nakagawa (from his Instagram)

The Paris Olympics began on July 27th (Japan time, same below). In the early hours of July 30th, men’s skateboarder Yuto Horigome made a major comeback and won his second consecutive gold medal, and about an hour later, the men’s gymnastics team won their first gold medal in two Olympics, creating a sense of excitement. Meanwhile, NHK announcer Anna Nakagawa (30), who is broadcasting the event live from the event, is the talk of the town in a different field to the competition itself.

“When she reported on the situation on-site just before the opening ceremony with the Eiffel Tower in the background, she was wearing a beige top underneath her white jacket, and due to the lighting, she was inundated with comments of surprise on social media, such as ‘She looks naked’ and ‘Is she not wearing anything?’, and various media outlets also picked up on her story.

Former TV Tokyo announcer Yuki Matsumaru defended Nakagawa on “Barairo Dandy” (TOKYO MX) on the 29th, saying, “Maybe she chose beige to make it look plain,” and many others expressed sympathy. In any case, there is no doubt that Nakagawa is attracting the most attention among the local newscasters.” (Sports newspaper reporter)

After graduating from Keio University in 2016, Nakagawa joined NHK. She has been appearing as a reporter on “Asaichi” since April 2020, and has been a newscaster on “Sunday Sports” since 2022, and has gained popularity for her natural cheerfulness. An NHK official said:

“During her university days, she was selected as a finalist for Miss Keio. She also passed the audition for an announcing school run by TV Asahi and made her debut as a student presenter on BS Asahi. Despite all that glamour, she is also a dedicated researcher and wrote her graduation thesis on media theory. After joining the station, she lived in Akita and Hiroshima before steadily moving on to Tokyo to advance her career.

She started using Instagram in 2023, but she is the only NHK announcer who posts about her private life. Some people at the station praise her for having a strong character, but there were also some harsh criticisms that she is not suitable for public broadcasting.

Nakagawa will graduate from her role as a reporter for “Asaichi” in March 2024, and is appearing on fewer programs. While other networks are sending their top announcers to Paris, why did NHK choose Nakagawa to be an Olympic reporter? The aforementioned NHK source said, “There are probably two reasons.”

Source: Japanese