Japanese media personalities feature in new television segments

Comedian Kayoko Okubo participated in a television special on Nippon Television where she attempted to use the matching app Pairs for the first time. Despite receiving numerous likes, Okubo expressed hesitation in reciprocating them and eventually decided to leave the app after a potential date request was declined by a match. She noted that while the experience was bittersweet, it increased her self-esteem by proving she could still pursue romance.

Separately, former NHK announcer Mayuko Wakuda made her first appearance on a commercial variety program, ‘Gurunai 99’, in an effort to boost viewership for her news program ‘news LOG’. While her performance was noted as being somewhat tense and did not fully meet the high expectations of being a ‘second Yumiko Udo’, some insiders at Nippon Television expressed relief that she maintained her professional persona rather than shifting too heavily into a variety entertainer role.