Morning Musume History

1997
Japanese producer Tsunku started the group in 1997 through an audition for a female rock vocalist for his band Sharan Q. The audition was held on the Japanese TV show ASAYAN. The winner was Heike Michiyo, later to become a soloist under what would eventually become known as Hello! Project.

Tsunku then decided to form a girl group consisting of five of the runners-up: Nakazawa Yuko, Abe Natsumi, Iida Kaori, Fukuda Asuka, and Ishiguro Aya. Morning Musume was officially announced as a group by Tsunku on the September 14 episode of ASAYAN. Thus, September 14 became Morning Musume's official birthdate.

They were issued a challenge to sell 50,000 copies of their demo single, "Ai no Tane," with just five days of promotion events. They managed the feat in four promotion days (spread out over November) in a very grassroots manner. Tsunku began his mission to create the most famous all-girl group in Japan.

1998
In early 1998, the girls were ready with their first official single, "Morning Coffee". The success of this single, hitting #6 on the Japanese pop charts, brought them three new members known as the second generation: Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, and Ichii Sayaka, bringing the total member count to eight. The second single, "Summer Night Town", was the first single of the new lineup—a mature pop tune about unsuccessfully attempting to hide one's true feelings. Their third single, "Daite HOLD ON ME!", continued in the same vein musically as "Summer Night Town", and managed to hit #1 on the charts. Leader Nakazawa Yuko also started her solo career.

First Time was released in July, featuring the singles "Ai no Tane", "Morning Coffee" and "Summer Night Town".

That year, Tsunku also formed Tanpopo, the first subgroup of Morning Musume, with Iida Kaori, Ishiguro Aya, and Yaguchi Mari. Tanpopo touted slower, more mature songs.

On December 31, Morning Musume won the Japan Record Award for "Best New Artist".

1999
1999 kicked off with the group's fourth single, "Memory Seishun no Hikari", failing to hit #1 but managed to snag #2 on the weekly Oricon charts. The song contained a rap section and intense vocal harmonization on the girls parts. Fukuda Asuka later announced this would be her last single coming as a surprise. She had the shortest tenure of any Morning Musume member. She got her own solo song as the 3rd track on the single.

"Manatsu no Kousen" was released in May and has a summer tune. It went to #3 on the charts, and the sales dropped by half from "Memory Seishun no Hikari". Morning Musume's chart position was visibly lagging at the time, their sixth single, "Furusato", only sealing the fact. Abe Natsumi sang the entire song, with the other members harmonizing discreetly. This single was #5, and the sales once again decreased by half.

Second Morning was released in July 1999, containing the singles "Daite HOLD ON ME!", "Memory Seishun no Hikari", "Manatsu no Kousen" and "Furusato". Both "Daite HOLD ON ME!" and "Manatsu no Kousen" were remixes.

Eager to add new life to the group, Tsunku held auditions for the third generation of Morning Musume. Two girls were expected to be admitted, but ultimately only Goto Maki was added. Goto was 13, the youngest member of Morning Musume at the time. The group's seventh single, "LOVE Machine", sold 1,730,000 copies, making it a major hit. It is still their highest-selling single to date. The song touted an image of Japan as the future "envy of the world" and cheered the masses during a period of economic recession. It was Goto Maki's first single and Ishiguro Aya's last. Its wild success dramatically increased the popularity of the group.

Soon Goto was paired with Yasuda Kei and Ichii Sayaka to form the subgroup Petitmoni. Petitmoni's first single, "Chokotto LOVE", rivaled the success of "LOVE Machine", selling over 1,123,610 copies.

2000
2000 first saw the release of Koi no Dance Site, which hit #2 and sold over a million—400,000 copies away from reaching Love Machine's success. The single had the highest 1st week sales than any other Morning Musume's singles, an enormous amount of 600,860 copies. Even with this large number, the single did not reach #1 because Southern All Stars's biggest hit single, TSUNAMI, which sold total of 2.93 million copies, was released at the same date as "Koi no Dance Site". Ishiguro Aya left the group before the single was released in order to marry Shinya, drummer of rock band Luna Sea, leaving the group with seven members.

The second event of 2000 was the creation of "shuffle units," in which all members of Tsunku's then 16-member family, Hello! Project, were shuffled around to form three one-time groups: Akagumi 4, Kiiro 5, and Aoiro 7. The idea was to battle for the highest single sales. This was achieved by Akagumi 4 which boasted Goto Maki as the lead vocals.

In March, their third studio album, 3rd -LOVE Paradise- was released. Despite having "Love Machine" and "Koi no Dance Site" on its track list, it did not manage to claim the #1 spot, but did sell more than 800,000 copies, making it Morning Musume's highest-selling studio album to date.

This year also brought a new generation search. The fourth generation consisted of Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Tsuji Nozomi, and Kago Ai, lending a completely different feel to the group by adding the 12-year-old duo of Tsuji Nozomi and Kago Ai. After their debut single, Happy Summer Wedding, (continuing the legacy of #1 hits with 1,370,000 copies sold,). Ichii Sayaka left the group to pursue her own music career. She became the vocalist of Japanese group Ichii Sayaka in CUBIC-CROSS and later married fellow member Yoshizawa Naoki (who has no relation to Yoshizawa Hitomi).

With Ishiguro Aya and Ichii Sayaka gone, both Tanpopo and Petitmoni revised their lineups—Yoshizawa Hitomi joined Petitmoni, and Kago Ai and Ishikawa Rika were added to Tanpopo. Meanwhile, Yaguchi Mari had started performing informally with Kago Ai and Tsuji Nozomi in concerts as Minimoni, a group tailored towards younger audiences with all the members being less than 150 cm (about 5 ft) tall. Mika Todd of Coconuts Musume was later added into the group and Tsunku made them official. Their debut single, Minimoni. Jankenpyon!, was a #1 hit on the Oricon.

As an idol group, they were extremely successful, drawing comparisons to the popularity of former girl idol group Speed. I WISH and Ren'ai Revolution 21 (Nakazawa Yuko's last single) continued the trend of happy pop songs becoming staple hits for the group. Morning Musume also began their tradition of performing in musicals each year, breaking new ground as idols with their hit musical, Love Century -Yume wa Minakerya Hajimaranai-.

2001
Morning Musume was featured in a game called Space Venus. In April 2001, group leader Nakazawa Yuko graduated to concentrate more on her solo career (as a factor as well—she felt it was limiting her ability to meet the physical demands of the group's activities) making Iida Kaori and Yasuda Kei Morning Musume's co-leaders. During this time, the Ishikawa Rika was "lent" out to the rather inactive group, Country Musume. She did not officially join, but she sang with them for a short period of time.

By July 2001 the string of #1 hits had yet to be broken with the release of the single The☆Peace!. The☆Peace! was another somewhat bizarre pop tune, beginning with an almost fight song-like call and response, and featuring Ishikawa Rika as the lead. She had a dialog in the middle of the song, many solo lines, and took center in the dance and the cover shot. The promotional video echoed the song's strangeness by placing the group in the middle of what appeared to be a gigantic public bathroom, displaying the girls dancing amongst the urinals and posing for photographs in the stalls; supposedly as a response to hidden camera footage of the members that had recently surfaced, filmed from a toilet in their production offices.

At the end of January 2001, the best selling Hello! Project album to date, at 2,259,510 copies, was released: Best! Morning Musume 1. It featured 15 tracks, the only original song being "Say Yeah! -Motto Miracle Night-."

At the end of 2001, four new members joined the group as the 5th Generation through the "Love Audition 21:" Takahashi Ai, Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, and Niigaki Risa, bringing the roster to 13 girls. Their first single "Mr.Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~" (done in the style of big band) featured fourth generation member Yoshizawa Hitomi as the central focus and main vocalist of the song. The single sold over half a million copies.

2002
In February, "Souda! We're ALIVE", another hit, was released. It featured many different styles combined into one song, centered on Yaguchi Mari.

In July 2002, Do it! Now was released. This single finally broke the line of #1 hits and came in at #3—a surprising fact to many, considering it was Goto Maki's last single.

Morning Musume's fourth studio album, 4th Ikimasshoi! was released in March 2002 after a two year wait. It is the first studio album from the group to reach #1 on Oricon. It featured the singles "Ren'ai Revolution 21," (rerecorded with the current 13-person formation,) "The Peace!," (in a 'full', longer version,) "Mr.Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~," (with added dialog at the beginning,) and "Souda! We're Alive."

Late 2002 was marked by the graduation of Goto Maki and a mass re-shuffle of the sub-units. Tsunku removed Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, and Kago Ai from Tanpopo, adding in Konno Asami, Niigaki Risa, and Shibata Ayumi of Melon Kinenbi to join Ishikawa Rika. Tanpopo only released one single with this lineup before the group was put on an indefinite hiatus status. Ogawa Makoto and Kimura Ayaka of Coconuts Musume joined Yoshizawa Hitomi in Petitmoni to replace Yasuda Kei and Goto Maki. However, the group did release a single, and only performed in concerts. Their song "Wow Wow Wow" was later released on the Hello! Project's compilation CD Petit Best 4. In Minimoni, Yaguchi Mari was replaced by Takahashi Ai and the new lineup went on to put out several singles and a second album until member Mika Todd graduated in May 2004, adding Minimoni to the list of "indefinite hiatus" subgroups.

In October Koko ni Iruzee! was released, a fast-paced, feel-good song about making the most of life and music's ability to unite the world. It was #1 on Oricon.

2003
The unique child-like tune Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima was released in February 2003 as the group's seventeenth single. It is significant because it was a cover song, marking the first time Tsunku did not write a single's lyrics.

April brought the notably successful single AS FOR ONE DAY, a synthesizer-driven song about lost love, which sold 129,893 copies and hit #1 in Oricon charts. It was the last time a Morning Musume single got #1 until "Aruiteru" (released late 2006). This single was also the last for Yasuda Kei.

Before the auditions for the sixth generation were held, the group released the album No.5. It was unique in a few ways. It was the last studio album to feature Yasuda Kei and Abe Natsumi as full members of the group. It was also the first Morning Musume studio album to feature a former member, as Goto Maki guests on "Megami ~Mousse na Yasashisa~" and "Ganbacchae." It only featured two singles: "Do it! Now" and "Koko ni Iruzee!."

In mid-2003, four new girls were added as the sixth generation: Fujimoto Miki, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, and Tanaka Reina. After she pulled off a successful appearance on the New Year's music program "Kōhaku Uta Gassen" with several Morning Musume members dancing as backup, Tsunku also added in Fujimoto Miki as part of the sixth generation. Their debut concert was also Yasuda Kei's graduation concert, and Tsunku has said that this one-time 16-member group is the largest Morning Musume will ever be.

The sixth generation's first single was Shabondama, which featured "break-up" lyrics, a seemingly spontaneous dance routine, and rolled "r"s.

Yaguchi Mari became Morning Musume's sub-leader after Kei's graduation and was also put in charge of training and assisting the trainee group of Hello! Project Kids, eventually forming a group with 5 of them, known as ZYX.

Later in 2003, Morning Musume was split into two subgroups so that it could tour more cities (especially smaller cities that could not support a 15-member troupe). Morning Musume Sakura Gumi, which focused on slower and more traditional love songs, included Abe Natsumi, Yaguchi Mari, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Kago Ai, Takahashi Ai, Niigaki Risa, Konno Asami and Kamei Eri. Morning Musume Otome Gumi, which had more upbeat pop songs with a slight rock flavor, featured Iida Kaori, Ishikawa Rika, Tsuji Nozomi, Ogawa Makoto, Fujimoto Miki, Michishige Sayumi, and Tanaka Reina. Sakuragumi released two singles: Hare Ame Nochi Suki♥ and Sakura Mankai, and Otomegumi released two singles as well: "Ai no Sono ~Touch My Heart!~ and Yuujou ~Kokoro no Busu ni wa Naranee!~.

The last single of Morning Musume in 2003 to feature the entire group was Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~, which had the members girlishly proclaiming the victory of their love.

2004
In January, Abe Natsumi (known as "the face of Morning Musume" to the general public) graduated to pursue a soloist career. Her last single was Ai Araba IT'S ALL RIGHT, Morning Musume's last song to sell more than 100,000 copies. "Ai Araba IT'S ALL RIGHT" had uplifting lyrics (as would be expected, with the title), and a cheery dance sequence.

The group soon released another single, Roman ~MY DEAR BOY~. The song showcased an almost rock flavor and centered its lyrics around offering "a dance" to a boy. This was followed by their twenty-third single, Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari, which is unique in that it was actually about the Morning Musume girls themselves—each member got a verse about their personality. This song would later be remade several times as "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 2" and "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 3," included in their sixth and seventh album respectively. This single also marked the graduation of fourth generation members Tsuji Nozomi and Kago Ai in August, to focus on W, their new duo group.

In May, it was announced that then leader Iida Kaori and Ishikawa Rika would be graduating from Morning Musume in 2005. Iida would be set to graduate in the 2005 Hello! Project concert tour, while Ishikawa would graduate in the 2005 Morning Musume.

In mid-2004, Morning Musume's second best-of album, Best! Morning Musume 2 was released and featured "Yah! Aishitai" as the only new track. It had a lukewarm reception at best, compared to their first best-of compilation.

Auditions for the seventh generation (named "Lucky 7" to commemorate the seventh generation, the seventh year of Morning Musume, and seven audition sites across Japan) were held in various Japan cities in late 2004, resulting in six finalists. However, on January 9, 2005, Tsunku surprised everyone by announcing that no one in the Lucky 7 audition would be added to Morning Musume, citing that he had set his expectations extra-high this year in hopes of finding an "ace". This was the first time an audition had ended with no new members.

In November 2004, Morning Musume released Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago, a ballad that featured Ishikawa Rika, Konno Asami, and Michishige Sayumi.

Following this single Morning Musume EARLY SINGLE BOX was released. It was a 9-CD set containing their first eight singles with a bonus track on each one, as well as a karaoke CD of some of their more popular tunes from the early years.

Finally, at the end of 2004, the group's yearly album was released. Their sixth studio album, named Ai no Dai 6 Kan, hit stores in December. It contained three singles: "Roman ~My Dear Boy~," "Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari," and "Namida ga Tomaranai Hōkago." This was Kago Ai, Tsuji Nozomi, Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, and Ishikawa Rika's last credited studio album.

2005
On January 30, 2005 - then-leader and the last member from the first generation Iida Kaori graduated to pursue a solo singer/artist career, with Yaguchi Mari taking on leadership role with Yoshizawa Hitomi as sub-leader. Her last single was THE Manpower!!, which sung about the abilities of the human race and was also the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles theme song.

The beginning of 2005 also saw the beginning of Musume Document 2005, which covered behind-the-scenes material, historical footage, and interviews. In February 2005, Tsunku started another audition for Morning Musume's seventh generation. He noted that he was still intent on finding an "ace." This audition resulted with Kusumi Koharu finally being chosen as the sole "miracle" member of the new generation.

On April 10, 2005, photos were taken of Yaguchi Mari with Shun Oguri (scheduled to be published in a gossip magazine Friday! on the 15th). Yaguchi announced that she would "retire" from Morning Musume and would continue on with solo activities. In her public statement, Yaguchi said that due to the scandal and its publicity, she could no longer sustain an "idol" image befitting of Morning Musume. Because of the nature of her departure (resignation rather than graduation), Yaguchi did not receive a graduation concert. Sub-leader Yoshizawa Hitomi took over as the leader of Morning Musume, and Fujimoto Miki became sub-leader as of July 15, 2005.

Just days after Yaguchi Mari resigned on April 27 2005, the group's twenty-sixth single, Osaka Koi no Uta was released. The final version featured Yaguchi still, presumably because they did not have enough time to rerecord and remix it. The lyrics are in an Osaka dialect. This single was also Ishikawa Rika's last. She graduated on May 7, 2005 to assume full-time leadership of the Hello! Project trio known as v-u-den.

Kusumi Koharu's first single with Morning Musume was July's Iroppoi Jirettai, a flamenco styled song, which was considered to be the biggest hit of the year—selling around 20,000 more copies than anything else. A 3 city handshake event was organized for the promotion of this single.

Morning Musume's last single of 2005 was Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo!~, which was a remake of a previous album-only song about the importance of using your intuition and not taking good things for granted. "Koi wa Hassō Do The Hustle!" was going to be the title track for the single, but due to poor preview results, became the coupling track instead.

On December 31, 2005, graduated Morning Musume members Nakazawa Yuko, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, Goto Maki, Ishikawa Rika, Tsuji Nozomi, and Kago Ai joined the current lineup of Morning Musume to perform the band's signature hit "LOVE Machine" on the 2005/2006 edition of Kōhaku Uta Gassen. The performance was Yaguchi Mari's first since leaving Morning Musume eight and a half months earlier

2006
On January 16, 2006, it was announced that Morning Musume had won a Kanagawa Image Up Award in recognition of Hello! Project's support of an anti-pollution campaign. Yoshizawa Hitomi, Fujimoto Miki, and Takahashi Ai represented the group to accept the award.

In February, the group released their seventh studio album, Rainbow 7. It was the first album for Kusumi Koharu and the last for Konno Asami and Ogawa Makoto. The album features "The Manpower!!!," "Osaka Koi no Uta," "Iroppoi Jirettai," and "Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo!~" (in a remixed form). Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, and Ishikawa Rika are not credited anywhere in the liner notes although their vocals appear. Three of the songs on the album are performed by smaller clusters of several group members, and are credited in the liner notes to the featured members involved, rather than to the entire group.

In March 2006, SEXY BOY ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~ was released. It featured an easy-to-learn dance and a parapara style. It was considered to be a relative success.

On April 28, 2006, it was announced by Tsunku from his official website that fifth generation members Konno Asami and Ogawa Makoto were going to graduate. Konno Asami graduated on July 23, 2006 to attend University and Ogawa Makoto graduated on August 27, 2006 to study English abroad. Both left Morning Musume, but only Konno Asami left Hello! Project entirely; Ogawa Makoto intended to return after completing her studies, and is still pictured as a soloist on Hello! Project's official website. However, as of 2007, Konno Asami returned to Hello! Project to join the new group Ongaku Gatas, making it the first time ever that a girl who left Hello! Project actually returned. She will remain an active member within the agency and Ongaku Gatas while continuing her university studies. Ogawa Makoto, on the other hand, returned in June 2008 by appearing on an episode of Morning Musume's television show Haromoni@.

Konno Asami and Ogawa Makoto's last single was Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan, which, yet again, featured a parapara type arrangement, with a rock 'n' roll flair. It was the group's 30th single, and a limited-edition CD of all past 30 singles mixed into a thirteen-minute track was included on the first pressing. Unfortunately, sales did not add up to the hype or the significance, and the single clocked in as Morning Musume's lowest-selling yet.

In mid-2006, the group performed the musical Ribbon no Kishi. Ai Takahashi Ai took the main role; the secondary role was played by alternating members. There was also a mini-concert at the end of each performance, which served as Ogawa Makoto's real "graduation concert"—the Wonderful Hearts 2006 concert was initially intended for Konno Asami's graduation only, although Ogawa Makoto wore a special outfit and read her graduation comments as well. (A last minute decision that fans were unaware of before the concert began). As for Ribbon no Kishi, an album with a selection of songs was released: Ribbon no Kishi The Musical Song Selection.

In mid-2006, Tsunku announced the audition for the eighth generation, called Morning Musume Happy 8 Audition. The audition started on August 27, 2006 and ended in Tokyo on October 22, 2006. On December 10, 2006's Hello! Morning, it was announced that the only new member was Mitsui Aika. The show had a piece of audition footage each week leading up to December 10, 2006.

The last single release in 2006 was Aruiteru, which was a huge hit. It was the first single at the #1 spot after 3½ years (their last #1 hit being "As for One Day.") The song's lyrics were credited for its success, with lines like "walking, you're not alone because everyone's here with you, praying for peace." It was a bit of a turn from the hyperactive singles the group had been releasing. Tsunku's group, Sharan Q, also made a rock cover of this song.

Their first mini-album, 7.5 Fuyu Fuyu Morning Musume Mini!, was released in December. It featured five tracks by solo and/or smaller combinations of band members. It also featured the single "Aruiteru."

2007
In early 2007, Morning Musume Tanjou 10nen Kinentai, a unit consisting of Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Goto Maki, Niigaki Risa, and Kusumi Koharu, was created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Morning Musume. They released a commemorative single called Bokura ga Ikiru MY ASIA. The members chosen symbolize the beginning of the group; how they had five members ranging in age from 13–24. Additionally, each member was from an odd-numbered generation (Iida Kaori and Abe Natsumi from the first generation, Goto Maki from the third, Niigaki Risa from the fifth, and Kusumi Koharu from the seventh).

On January 2, an announcement was made during ''Hello! Project's 2007 Winter'' concert that the group's leader at the time Yoshizawa Hitomi would graduate from Morning Musume on May 6, the last day of Morning Musume's 2007 spring tour. The concert was at the Saitama Super Arena in Yoshizawa Hitomi's hometown in Saitama.

In February, the first single with the eighth generation member Mitsui Aika was released, Egao YES Nude. This was the first PV of Morning Musume to appear on the Dohhh!Up site (a streaming website of Hello! Project media). The single went up against tougher competition than "Aruiteru" had, only landing them a #4 spot, although it sold relatively the same number of copies. The song has a funky, disco feel, and is highly-reminiscent of some of the oldest songs of Morning Musume, most notably "Summer Night Town".

On the March 11 edition of the weekly TV show ''Hello! Morning'', producer Tsunku revealed he would make an important announcement in the following episode. Several days later, on March 15, he announced that two other eighth generation members would be joining the group: Li Chun and Qian Lin, both Chinese nationals, were to join as "exchange students". Tsunku stated the two new members would be an important key for their group's planned expansion into Asia and gave them the stage names "Junjun" and "Linlin" respectively. The two made their stage debut on May 6, at Saitama Super Arena, during current leader Yoshizawa Hitomi's graduation. This is notable, as they are the first non-Japanese members of the group.

On March 21, the group's eighth studio album, SEXY 8 BEAT was released. It was the first album for Mitsui Aika and the last album for Yoshizawa Hitomi and Fujimoto Miki. It featured the singles "Aruiteru," "Egao Yes Nude," "Sexy Boy ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~," and "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii Jan."

In late April, Morning Musume released their 33rd single, Kanashimi Twilight. The song style was a huge departure from almost anything Morning Musume had released prior to it, displaying a loud, rock arrangement and the angriest lyrics since "Shabondama".

With the success of Kanashimi Twilight, on May 1, Morning Musume became the "best single selling female group in Japan" with 11,085,000 copies sold—their fifth Oricon record. The achievement surpasses the previous record set by Pink Lady of 11,037,000 copies sold.

On May 6, Yoshizawa Hitomi graduated. Fujimoto Miki took her place as leader and Takahashi Ai replaced Fujimoto as sub-leader.

As of June 1, Fujimoto Miki resigned from Morning Musume, due to the tabloid magazine Friday running an article depicting Fujimoto and comedian Tomoharu Shoji in a relationship. Takahashi Ai replaced Fujimoto as leader (a position the latter occupied for the briefest period in the band's history—26 days), and Niigaki Risa became sub-leader.

Morning Musume's 34th single Onna ni Sachi Are was released on July 25. It features the debut of new eighth generation members from China Junjun and Linlin. This was the first time that girls from another country entered the group. The single reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, with sales of 43,364 copies.

On October 26, Takahashi Ai, Niigaki Risa, and Kusumi Koharu visited Korea to promote their singles collection album Morning Musume ALL SINGLES COMPLETE ~10th ANNIVERSARY~, which was released on October 24. Takahashi and Niigaki also appeared as special guests in a Korean radio show called Maybee's Turn Up the Volume (메이비의 볼륨을 높여요). Later that same month, on October 29, all nine members traveled to Taiwan for three days to promote the album. This was the first time Morning Musume held a non-Fan Club promotional event at a country outside of Japan. During their visit, they attended press conferences, appeared for radio and TV show recordings, and held the first-ever public handshaking event outside of Japan.

November 21 marked the release of Morning Musume's 35th single, Mikan. Initial sales were poor for the song, which became the group's lowest-selling single, (even lower than the initial indies release of "Ai no Tane", which sold 50,000 copies), both in terms of first week sales and absolute sales figures. As a result, unlike all previous singles, "Mikan" failed to appear on Oricon's Top 5 Chart, breaking the group's previously held record.

On December 31, Morning Musume performed in the 58th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen with a remixed version of their song "Love Machine" along with ℃-ute and Berryz Koubou. Similar to the previous Kōhaku, the red team (females) lost to the white team (males) after attaining votes from the viewers and judges.

2008
Takahashi Ai, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, and Tanaka Reina participated in the musical Ojigi 30 Degrees at the Shinjuku Theater from February 26 to March 2. Morning Musume's 36th music single, Resonant Blue, had been announced for release on March 5, 2008 but was postponed until April 16, 2008 because of the busy schedule in the winter/early spring season. Multiple promotional videos were released. With the original, another version, a studio dance shot version, a night scene version, and a one-cut dance version, it makes the most PVs ever released for one single. Also notable is the smoky eye make-up used on the members, a daring new look for Morning Musume as they attempt to expand into Asia.

The group held a concert at Taipei Nankang Exhibition Hall, Taiwan, on May 24, 2008. the first time ever for Morning Musume to have a concert outside Japan.

On April 5, 2008, Morning Musume’s Mitsui Aika complained of a stomach ache after a concert at Hachiōji Citizen Hall. She was diagnosed with acute appendicitis and was ordered to rest for two weeks. Mitsui subsequently missed the concerts on April 12 and 13.

"Resonant Blue" was released on April 16, 2008, the 36th single after it had been delayed due to hectic schedule. The single debuted at #2 and finished third in the Oricon Weekly ranking. Overall, the single marked a rebound from poor sales of the previous single, "Mikan". In its first week, it sold 48,086 copies, 20,004 copies more than "Mikan" and around 5,000 more copies than Onna ni Sachi Are.

From August 6 to August 25, 2008, Morning Musume performed with several members of the all-female Takarazuka theatre troupe in a version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. Takahashi Ai starred in the main role of Cinderella, with Niigaki Risa as the Prince, and Kamei Eri and Tanaka Reina as the stepsisters. The other members participated as fairies and guards.

Morning Musume's 37th single, Pepper Keibu, was released on September 24, 2008. Unlike past singles (with the exception of "Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima"), this song is actually a cover of Pink Lady's debut single, released in 1976. In the first week of the release, it sold approximately 10,000 copies less than "Resonant Blue" and 10,000 copies more than "Mikan".

Berikyuu! and Haromoni@ finished their run and both were replaced with Yorosen!. It started on October 6, 2008. The show stars Morning Musume, Berryz Koubou, and ℃-ute.

2008 was the first year in which there were no changes in Morning Musume's lineup.

2009
Morning Musume released their 38th single on February 18, 2009. This was their first single of 2009, titled Nai Chau Kamo. The title is translated to "I Might Cry" and was released in two limited versions A and B, each including a DVD. On March 18, 2009 they released their ninth studio album called Platinum 9 DISC.

In March 2009, all Morning Musume singles and albums, past and present, became available through JapanFiles.com via digital MP3 format in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It started with "Naichau Kamo" and the simultaneous Japan and USA release of their 9th album "Platinum 9 Disc" on March 18. Japanfiles also sells Morning Musume CD's as USA versions. It started with the album "Platinum 9 Disc" and their most recent single "Shouganai Yume Oibito".

Morning Musume released their 39th single, Shouganai Yume Oibito, on May 13, 2009, attaining a rank of #1 on the Oricon weekly chart, the first time since their "Aruiteru" single in late 2006. It also became the group's first #1 single to feature eighth generation members Mitsui Aika, Junjun, and Linlin.

Following the success of "Shouganai Yume Oibito", the group released their 40th single Nanchatte Ren'ai on August 12th, which is their third single in 2009. At the same time, with "Nanchatte Ren'ai" being the group's 40th commemorative single, a commemorative edition will be released along with the usual regular edition plus two limited edition with two different DVDs. What is interesting about the commemorative edition is that there will be a different c/w track in it to the one for the regular and limited editons. This is something the group has never done before (having 2 c/w tracks in different editions of the singles) since their 4th single "Memory Seishun no Hikari" in 1999. (note: 'Memory Seishun no Hikari' has two c/w track in one edition). "Nanchatte Ren'ai" has charted at #2 on the Oricon Weekly Sales Chart with 54,973 CDs sold. This single has marked their best opening week since "Iroppi Jirettai" back in 2005.

With good sales from "Nanchatte Ren'ai", Morning Musume released their 41st single Kimagure Princess on October 28, 2009. The single is going have four versions (Regular, Limited A, B, and C). The regular will have a photocard while Limited C that will contain 10 different covers. This is not the first time Morning Musume done this. "Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii jan" came with 10 different covers for their 30th single. Also, "Kimagure Princess" was the last single with Kusumi Koharu as she graduated in december to persue modeling. Her graduation marked the end of Morning Musume's longest lasting line-up.

Their latest Greatest Hits Album (B-side collection album) was released featuring all B-side songs from their debut single to 40th single on 3 discs.

2010
Morning Musume released their 42nd single, Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai was released on February 10 and had four versions: regular and 3 limited editions. This will be the first single released with the new eight-member lineup and the first single following the graduation of seventh generation member Kusumi Koharu. Their tenth album, 10 MY ME, was released on March 17. Their 43rd single, Seishun Collection, was released on June 9 and had four editions: regular and 3 Limited editions.

It was announced that Kamei Eri, along with 8th Generation members Junjun and Linlin would graduate from Morning Musume at the "Morning Musume 2010 Rival Survival Fall Concert Tour". "Morning Musume’s Concert Tour 2010 Fall ~Rival Survival~" an additional date at Yokohama Arena has been added to the schedule as the final concert of the tour.

Around the middle of 2010, Tsunku made a new unit called Muten Musume to release their new single Appare! Kaiten Zushi, will be released on October 27. To promote sushi all over the world.

Their 44th single, Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game, will be released on November 17 and will have for versions: regular and 3 limited editions. This is the last single to feature Kamei Eri, Junjun and Linlin.

Morning Musume is part of the cast for the movie "Keitai Deka The Movie 3: Morning Musume Kyuushutsu Daisakusen! ~ Pandora no Hako no Himitsu~".

On December 15, the graduation of Kamei Eri, Junjun, and Linlin was held. It was the biggest graduation in Morning Musume's history. With this the group went down to 5 members, the smallest line-up since 1998.

In 2010, It was announced that a new group has been created, Dream Morning Musume which will consist of former-Morning Musume members: Nakazawa Yuko, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Ogawa Makoto, Fujimoto Miki and Kusumi Koharu. They released an album, titled Dreams. 1, which will consist of two new songs, as well as remakes of older Morning Musume songs.

2011
On January 2, four ninth generation members were revealed to be Fukumura Mizuki, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho and Suzuki Kanon at the Hello! Project 2011 Winter ~Kangei Shinsen Matsuri~ A gana Live concert. Fukumura Mizuki is a former Hello! Pro Kenshuusei and former member of Shugo Chara Egg!. Sayashi Riho and Suzuki Kanon became the first members of Morning Musume to be born after the groups formation.

On January 9th, an announcement was made that leader Takahashi Ai would be graduating from Morning Musume and Hello! Project at the group's Autumn 2011 concert (August to October). This announcement shocked many fans considering the group just had a triple graduation in December, plus the addition of the ninth generation only a week previously. The new leader of Morning Musume will be Niigaki Risa.

The ninth generation's debut single is Maji Desu ka Ska!, the single was going to be released on March 23, but the release was postponed to April 6 due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Also due to the earthquake and tsunami, on March 16, it was announced that Morning Musume's upcoming tour would be postponed. The new single reached number 5 on the Oricon weekly charts. Although the sales were relatively low compared to the majority of Morning Musume's recent singles, due to the recent natural diasters.

This summer, Morning Musume will be doing a Fanclub Tour in Hawaii from July 20th through July 26th. This will be the first time that the ninth generation members will be traveling overseas as a part of Morning Musume.

On April 11th, It was announced that the ninth generation of Morning Musume will have a show titled "UstreaMusume".

It was announced May 8, that Morning Musume 10th Generation Audition submissions are starting now until June 13th. According to the news there will be 2 girls added after Takahashi Ai's Graduation. This is shocking, yet exciting news to fans, considering that it's been just 5 months since the 9 Generation joined. The first day of auditions is on June 13th.

Shortly after the announcement, Mitsui Aika went to the hospital, and was diagnosed with a bone fracture in her left ankle. While her activities within Morning Musume became extremely limited, she completed the Morning Musume 2011 Spring Tour while continuing treatment for her injury. Unfortunately, the injury was not healing as quickly as it had been initially expected. As a result, Mitsui Aika did not participate in the Hello!Project 2011 Summer Concerts. Sayashi Riho also endured an injury during the Summer Tour and was absent from a large part of it.

On September 14th, Morning Musume released their 47th single. This was the last single to feature leader, Takahashi Ai. It was the first of many double-A side singles to come and was titled "Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo!"

Morning Musume's fall tour was revealed to be called, "Ai Believe." It has also been revealed that Takahashi Ai would graduate on the final day of the tour, September 30th, at the Nippon Budokan.

On August 26, Morning Musume 5th generation member's, Takahashi Ai and Niigaki Risa have spent 10 years in Morning Musume. It was also ten years since the Fifth Generation was added to the group, giving them the longest tenure for any member at the time.

The tenth generation members were introduced on September 29th, they include Iikubo Haruna, Ishida Ayumi, Sato Masaki, and Kudo Haruka. Then leader Takahashi Ai graduated on September 30 and the tenth generation appeared again to give their graduation messages to Takahashi Ai and sing with the existing members. Their addition makes the group stand at 12 members, the largest the group has been since 2005. Once Takahashi Ai graduated, she passed leadership of both Morning Musume and Hello! Project to Niigaki Risa, her fellow and only remaining 5th generation member. This now makes Niigaki Risa the longest serving member of the group and the 1st member to go from youngest in the group at entering to becoming leader.

2012
On January 2, it was announced that Niigaki Risa will be graduating from Morning Musume and Hello! Project on May 18, the last day of their Spring Concert Tour. While there were no official announcements about who will succeed Niigaki at that time, Michishige Sayumi had expressed her desired of leading the group publicly.

On January 5, Morning Musume lost the record of having the highest overall single sales (of a female group) on the Oricon charts to AKB48. They are currently tied with the most number 1 singles.

On January 25, "Pyocopyoco Ultra" was released, in its first week it reached 3 on the Oricon charts and sold 31,094 copies. Although it beat "Mikan"'s first week sales, it became their lowest selling single, selling only 34,050 copies.

On April 11, "Ren'ai Hunter" was released. It peaked at #1 on the Oricon daily charts, the first to do so since "Seishun Collection" in 2010.

On May 4, it was announced that Mitsui Aika would be graduating from Morning Musume along with Niigaki Risa on May 18, the last day of their Spring Concert Tour, at the Nippon Budokan. Her reason for graduation was due to the possibility of the stress fracture in her left ankle from last year reoccuring if she continued with her activities in Morning Musume. After a discussion with her family and UFA staff, it was decided it would be best not to delay her health any longer which resulted in the decision for her graduate as soon as possible. After her graduation, she would be discussing with UFA staff about what possible activities she could do in Hello! Project.

On May 18, at Morning Musume Concert Tour 2012 Haru ~Ultra Smart~ Niigaki Risa Mitsui Aika Graduation Special, both Niigaki Risa and Mitsui Aika graduated from Morning Musume at Nippon Budokan. On the same date, Michishige Sayumi was declared Morning Musume's 8th leader, succeeding Niigaki Risa. The Morning Musume Eleventh Generation Audtions, titled Morning Musume 11th Generation ~Suppin Utahime~ Auditions, were announced and to begin.

On May 26, Morning Musume was one the special artists to perform at Girls Award 2012 Spring/Summer collection ~All you need is LOVE~ event at Yoyogi Stadium along side names as ICONIQ, Kato Miliyah and Korean Pop Group Wonder Girls.

On July 4, Ikuta Erina announced on her Ustream show that she will change her official member color from Dark Purple to Yellow-Green in the fall. During the announcement, she commented that the reason she changed her member color was because she admires the former Morning Musume leader Niigaki Risa.

On July 28, Iikubo Haruna made an announcement at a press conference that she will graduate from her chocolate color at Morning Musume's Ustream broadcast on July 30. Her new member color is honey.

On August 8, Morning Musume's 50th single, "One•Two•Three / The Matenrou Show" became Morning Musume's best selling single since "Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~" in 2003. It was also the first single since "Ai Araba IT'S ALL RIGHT" to sell over 100,000 copies. It has been widely speculated that the single would have sold more copies if the initial print run had been larger.

On September 14, at Morning Musume's 15th Anniversary Concert Tour rehearsal, it was announced that Hello Pro Kenshuusei member, Oda Sakura passed the 11th Generation Auditions, making her the sole 11th Generation member. Oda will start official Morning Musume duties in January 2013 at the Hello! Project 2013 Winter Concert, after Morning Musume's 15th Anniversary Concert Tour.

On November 18, it was announced that Tanaka Reina would be graduating from both Morning Musume and Hello! Project to focus on her new band. Her graduation ceremony will take place at their spring concert tour, Morning Musume Concert Tour 2013 Haru Michishige☆Eleven SOUL ~Tanaka Reina Sotsugyou Kinen Special~ in May 2013.

On November 28, a rumor was leaked by a person who concerned with a TV drama that airs in January, that the 52nd single, titled "Help me!!," would be expected be released in January 23, 2013. On December 11, Morning Musume announced their 52nd single, "Help me!!". The single was set to be released on the same date stated by the rumor: January 23, 2013.

2013
On January 8, Morning Musume began the Zenkyoku 47 Todoufuken Campaign (全国47都道府県キャンペーン) during a "Help me!!" release event at the TOWER RECORDS Shibuya store in Tokyo, Japan. The campaign focused on having release events for the 2013 singles in all 47 prefectures of Japan. The campaign was completed on August 19.

On January 19, both Michishige Sayumi and Tanaka Reina officially have 10 full years in Morning Musume. This made them together the 3rd and 4th person in Morning Musume history to pass this mark, after Takahashi Ai and Niigaki Risa's 10th Anniversary back in 2011.

On January 30, Morning Musume's single Help me!! became the first Hello! Project single to reach #1 on Oricon's weekly single chart since Shouganai Yume Oibito, which was released in 2009. Help me!! also had the best first day sales since 2003.

On January 23, Tanaka Reina's graduation was announced to take place at the Nippon Budokan on May 21.

On February 14, BigCamera confirmed the 53rd single. The single, which was already leaked on the release day of "Help me!!" by the same anonymus person, is entitled "Brainstorming / Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai". It was released on April 17th, and was Tanaka Reina's last single.

On March 16, the 12th generation auditions were announced. The application deadline was April 30. It was later announced that no one passed the audition. However, all finalists from the audition were offered positions in the Hello Pro Kenshuusei.

On April 23, "Brainstorming / Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai" ranked #1 on Oricon's weekly single chart and became Morning Musume's 2nd consecutive weekly #1, which was previously achieved with "Mr.Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~" in 2001. The single also became the first since "Aruiteru" to have every day of the first week rank at number 1.

On May 21, the day of Tanaka Reina's graduation, Fukumura Mizuki and Iikubo Haruna were appointed sub-leaders of Morning Musume, making this the first time in Morning Musume history that there is more than one sub-leader.

From August to December, all of Morning Musume's previous concert tours from 1999 to 2009 were re-released on Blu-ray Disc.

On September 12, "Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke / Ai no Gundan" became Morning Musume's highest selling single since "Koko ni Iruzee!", which was released in 2002. The single also became Morning Musume's 3rd consecutive weekly #1, which was previously achieved in 2002 with "The☆Peace!", "Mr.Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~", and "Souda! We're ALIVE".

On October 12, Michishige Sayumi was declared the longest serving Morning Musume member, which was previously held by Niigaki Risa. On that day, she has served a total of 3,920 days in the group (Niigaki graduated with 3,919 days served).

On October 30, Morning Musume was appointed by the Japanese Olympics Committee as the Olympics official support team called the "Nippon! Call Project Ambassadors". They will be cheering on and singing an official song produced by Tsunku, for the Japanese Olympic Team.

On December 6, it was announced by Morning Musume's producer, Tsunku, that starting January 1, 2014, Morning Musume will be renamed ''Morning Musume. '14 (モーニング娘. '14; Morning Musume. One Four''). Tsunku stated that the name changes would help the fans recognize from which period are the songs and which members were featured in the songs.

On December 15, Morning Musume won "Billboard JAPAN Active Artist of the Year 2013", an award presented by Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd.

2014
On January 1, Morning Musume began the new year with their new group name, Morning Musume '14.