Kouhaku Uta Gassen teams announced

JapanToday.com posted the Kouhaku Uta Gassen 2008 performers list, they are:

The 53 singers and groups are traditionally divided into Red (women) and White (men) teams in the program held every New Year’s Eve. NHK said this year’s theme is “The power of songs. Ties between people.” NHK said it hopes the varied lineup of guests will expand the base of its viewers. This year marks the 59th time the program will be held.

Red team

aiko
Thelma Aoyama
Junko Akimoto
Ayaka
Angela Aki
Ikimonogakari
Sayuri Ishikawa
Ai Otsuka
Miyuki Kawanaka
Girl Next Door
Kumi Koda
Natsuko Godai
Sachiko Kobayashi
Fuyumi Sakamoto
SPEED
Yoshimi Tendo
Mika Nakashima
Natsuko Nakamura
Ayumi Hamasaki
Perfume
Yo Hitoto
Ayaka Hirahara
Ayako Fuji
Fujioka Fujimaki and Nozomi Ohashi
Kaori Mizumori
Akiko Wada

White team

Masashi Akikawa
Aqua Timez
Hiroshi Itsuki
Exile
Saburo Kitajima
Takeshi Kitayama
Kimaguren
Yusaku Kiyama
Kobukuro
Jero
Shuchishin with Pabo
SMAP
Toho Shinki
TOKIO
Hideaki Tokunaga
Kiyoshi Hikawa
Ken Hirai
Akira Fuse
Porno Graffiti
Kiyoshi Maekawa
Kenichi Mikawa
Mr. Children
Yutaka Mizutani
Shinichi Mori
Naotaro Moriyama
WaT

SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai and actress Yukie Nakama will co-host the program.