Oh whyy.....
Kouhaku is really popular and watched nation-wide, it's good for her publicity / promotion. If she disappears from the public eye in Japan, this will be like the final nail in the coffin. On the other hand, Namie has not performed in Kouhaku for years and this doesn't seem to have hurt her sales. I want to stay positive but something tells me this might be the beginning of the end.
Is she only skipping this year or forever?
MSSL is nice but Kouhaku has always been more grand in a way...