Utacon (うたコン) is a Japanese weekly music show produced by NHK, airing on Tuesdays at 19:30 JST from April 12, 2016. The show replaces NHK Kayou Concert and Music Japan.
Utacon presents a range of music artists from Enka and J-Pop at NHK Hall in Tokyo every week, to continue in the spirit of NHK Kayou Concert (which ended on March 15, 2016) as well Music Japan (which ended on April 4, 2016. at 01:30 JST). It also airs worldwide, through NHK World Premium at 10:30 UTC, broadcast at the same time as the show's appearance on NHK-G).
This program aims to revive the invaluable words of renowned individuals from history using the vast audio and visual archives preserved by NHK, working towards the creation of the "Japanese Visual Archive."
After making its debut in the world 150 years ago, Japan has been aiming "up the hill" and became one of the Five Powers after the First World War. Focusing on four themes that have held Japan's fate since the Meiji era (1868-1912) as it attempted to compete with the Western powers: "Asia," "The Emperor and the Constitution," "Trade," and "Military," the program examines from a global historical perspective why Japan, once a "first-class" country, became isolated and burnt to the ground in the international community.