[3] Uchimura expressed that he was surprised to be selected to MC the show again, and commented, "I want to aim for a Kōhaku that will remain in people's memories".

[4] Suzu Hirose and Sho Sakurai of Arashi were announced as the Red and White team leaders.

[4] In recent years, members of Arashi have served as the White team leader (Masaki Aiba and Kazunari Ninomiya for the 67th and 68th editions respectively).

[4] On November 14, 2018, NHK released the full list of performers and a press conference announcing the participants took place.

[7][8] Newcomers include Suchmos, Aimyon, King & Prince, Daoko, Junretsu (ja), and Yoshiki feat.

[14] This year also marks the last time Rino Sashihara would perform with the group, as she announced her graduation a few months prior.

He originally declined his invitation to Kōhaku but later accepted after NHK proposed he perform via live feed from Tokushima Prefecture.

[24] The judges are: Sadao Abe, Sakura Ando, Rikako Ikee, Nao Kodaira, Takeru Sato, Tetsurō Degawa, Mei Nagano, Nakamura Kankurō VI, Itsuki Natsui (ja), Mansai Nomura, and Makoto Hasebe.

[16] Sadao Abe and Nakamura Kankurō VI are the lead actors for the upcoming NHK taiga drama Idaten (2019).

Rikako Ikee, a swimmer, won six gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games and was named the most valuable player (MVP) of the competition.

Makoto Hasebe, the captain of the Japan National Football Team, announced his retirement after the 2018 FIFA World Cup.