Rika Asano  Asano was born in Tokyo, Japan. She graduated from University of the Sacred Heart in Tokyo in March 2016, and was hired by NHK in April 2016. She started her career at NHK Matsue Branch in Shimane Prefecture, and was moved to NHK Sapporo Branch in Sapporo, Hokkaido in 2018. She has been an anchor for Hokkaido's infotainment program "Hokkaido Close-up" since April 5, 2019. Also, she sometimes appears as correspondent in news programs broadcast within Hokkaido. In March 2020, Asano was relocated to Tokyo Announcement Room of NHK to host local news program "Shutoken Network". She is also hosting NHK's weekly geological program "Bura Tamori", taking over from Risa Hayashida in April 2020.