Ken Kojima's Unique Solo Variety Show 'Kojiken' Premieres Soon

Ae! group’s Ken Kojima is stepping into the spotlight with his first-ever solo variety program, Kojiken (こじ研), set to air on TV Asahi on June 27 at midnight JST as a Kanto local broadcast.

Known among fans for his unpredictable creativity, offbeat perspective, and self-proclaimed “genius” status, Ken will take on a program built entirely around studying himself. In Kojiken, the Ae! group member challenges a list of things he believes he “must do now at 27,” while asking one central question: is he really a genius?

The timing is especially fitting as Ken celebrates his 27th birthday on June 25, and the program plays with the idea of 27 as a fateful age historically associated with many figures called geniuses. Rather than treating that concept too seriously, Kojiken appears ready to dive headfirst into Ken’s own strange, chaotic, and instinctive world.

The show takes place inside a fictional research institute created to analyze the “Kojiken brain.” Ken serves as the institute’s director, while Tonkotsutan’s Morimoto and Gaku from Shinku Jessica are pulled in as his assistants. From there, Ken launches himself into a series of experiments based on his own interests and impulses.

The research subjects alone are enough to suggest that this will not be an ordinary variety show: AI, side-to-side dancing, talking to wooden objects, bench pressing, and “big-name MCs” are all part of the lineup. As Morimoto and Gaku are left bewildered, Ken’s unconventional ideas unfold one after another, creating what can only be described as a full-force “Kojiken world.”

Speaking about receiving his first solo variety program, Ken admitted that he still feels like he might be caught in a prank.

“It’s that surprising,” he said, noting that not only is it a full one-hour program, but Morimoto and Gaku are appearing with him as well. “Everything about it is a shock.”

After filming, however, he described the experience as extremely fun. He explained that the program reminded him of the small comedy-style corners he used to perform on stage during his Kansai Junior days. In that sense, seeing those playful ideas become a full television program carried an emotional weight for him.

When asked about the highlights, Ken said that every corner has a different kind of appeal, but he particularly enjoyed the “big-name MC” segment. At the same time, he admitted that even he does not know how the final broadcast will turn out.

According to Ken, the staff described the show as “a program with no information,” a phrase he felt suited it perfectly. Rather than forcing specific highlights or predictable punchlines, the program seems to leave much of its final shape in the hands of the editing team.

For fans, Ken offered a simple message: look forward to it.

“If you give Ken Kojima one hour, this is what happens,” he joked, adding that he feels both he and TV Asahi have created something unusually bold. He expects viewers may finish the episode wondering what they just watched — but hopes that confusion becomes part of the fun.

He also suggested that the show may contain something AI can never quite replicate: the strange, unfiltered unpredictability of human creativity.

With a major announcement also planned for the end of the episode, Kojiken promises to be a variety program that keeps viewers guessing until the very last second.