JRAThe first female play-by-play announcer in history

In recent years, the horse racing world has seen remarkable progress in the number of women who have made their debuts. In recent years, a number of female jockeys have made their debuts, and in 2024, the first female JRA trainer will be appointed. Meanwhile, on March 3rd, the first female live announcer in the history of the JRA made her debut.

“The course is illuminated with soft, bright sunlight reminiscent of spring.”

A high-pitched, clear voice unfamiliar to horse racing commentators echoed through the clear skies of Nakayama Racecourse, stirring up a buzz in the stands. The commentator was Nanaka Fujiwara, who has been with Radio Nikkei for five years. She enjoys figure skating and Hinatazaka46, and had never been involved with horse racing before joining the station, but she made a brilliant debut as a commentator.

After the commentary, Fujiwara’s account was inundated with over 500 DMs and comments. How did a horse racing commentary by a woman that caused such a big stir come about?

Rikkyo University Broadcasting Research Club

Fujiwara originally aspired to become an announcer when she was in junior high school. The reason was that she admired former NHK newscaster Maeda Akemi, who was the advisor of the broadcasting club she belonged to at the time. Furthermore, while participating in a student competition to compete in broadcasting techniques, she was touched by the fan letters she received from students from other schools, and this made her decide on her career path.

“When I participated in a broadcasting club competition, I received letters from students from other schools saying, ‘I like the way you talk,’ and ‘I’ve always been a fan of yours.’ At that time, I thought it would be great if I could make someone happy with my voice, so from junior high school onwards, my dream was to become an announcer.”

After that, Fujiwara-san went on to Rikkyo University, where he joined the Broadcasting Research Club. During his time at the university, he hosted a four-hour live broadcast program at the radio station “Shonan Beach FM,” and he began to think about becoming a radio announcer.

During my job search, I applied to broadcasting stations all over the country, and as part of that I ended up applying to Radio Nikkei.