In contrast to news articles in Japan hyping SNSD, KARA, and Big Bang's participation in the Japanese annual music show, "Kohaku Uta Gassen (Kohaku)", the groups' agencies are instead showing a more cautious response. Speculation that Korean idol groups will be attending the music show has been a hot topic in the Japanese press lately. The media has been writing articles of their possible attendance even before Kohaku's announcement of the official list of performers, showing a new phase in which K-pop is becoming of increasing significance in the Japanese music industry. But despite this, the three idol groups are still weary on whether to participate in the show. "It's difficult for us say anything when an official announcement hasn't been made yet," was the general statement made by all three agencies. It can be said that the Korean agencies are being cautious due to the possibility of unexpected conditions.  For example, if, for some reason, the agencies choose to exclude their groups from the event at the last minute, they would need to protect themselves from the respective consequences, so being cautious at the outset helps avoid any trouble. Additionally, showing interest in an event when the official announcement hasn't even been made yet won't always result in a beneficial outcome. There is also the problem of keeping loyal to the Korean broadcasting companies. If the groups attend Kohaku, which is to be held on New Year's Eve, it would be impossible for them to participate in the Korean year end public TV music show broadcasts. The official announcement for the performers of Kohaku will be posted between late November to early December. Source: Newsen