Morning Musume Members

Morning MusumeMembers
Main Article: Morning Musume
Members (altogether): 44 Current members: 13 Graduated members: 29 Resigned members: 2 Generations: 15

This page consists of all current and former members of the J-pop group Morning Musume.

The group is known for their ever-fluctuating line-up, with "graduations" and auditions held nearly every year. As of June 2019, there have been a total of 44 members altogether (1997-present), 29 graduated members, 2 members which have resigned, and 15 generations. There are currently 13 members in Morning Musume '21 which consists of the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th generations.

Members

Current Members

Name	Birthdate	Home Prefecture	Blood Type	Date Joined	Gen	Member Color	Notes
Fukumura Mizuki (譜久村聖)	October 30, 1996 (age 25)	Tokyo	O	January 2, 2011	9th	Hot Pink	Leader (2014-Present) Sub-leader (2013-2014) Hello! Project Leader (2019-Present) Former Hello! Project Sub-leader (2017-2019) Former Hello Pro Egg (2008-2011)
Ikuta Erina (生田衣梨奈)	July 7, 1997 (age 24)	Fukuoka	A			Yellow-Green	Sub-leader (2014-Present)
Ishida Ayumi (石田亜佑美)	January 7, 1997 (age 25)	Miyagi	O	September 29, 2011	10th	Royal Blue	Former B♭ member Sub-leader (2018-Present)
Oda Sakura (小田さくら)	March 12, 1999 (age 22)	Kanagawa	A	September 14, 2012	11th	Lavender	Former Hello Pro Kenshuusei (2011-2012)
Nonaka Miki (野中美希)	October 7, 1999 (age 22)	Shizuoka		September 30, 2014	12th	Purple
Makino Maria (牧野真莉愛)	February 2, 2001 (age 20)	Aichi				Pink	Former Hello Pro Kenshuusei (2012-2014)
Haga Akane (羽賀朱音)	March 7, 2002 (age 19)	Nagano	O			Orange	Former Hello Pro Kenshuusei (2013-2014)
Kaga Kaede (加賀楓)	November 30, 1999 (age 22)	Tokyo	A	December 12, 2016	13th	Italian Red	Former Hello Pro Kenshuusei (2012-2016)
Yokoyama Reina (横山玲奈)	February 22, 2001 (age 20)	Saitama	O			Golden Yellow	Former Hello Pro Kenshuusei (2016)
Morito Chisaki (森戸知沙希)	February 19, 2000 (age 21)	Tochigi	A	June 26, 2017	14th	White	Former Country Girls Member (2014-2019) Former CoCoRo Gakuen member (2011-2014)
Kitagawa Rio (北川莉央)	March 16, 2004 (age 17)	Tokyo	O	June 22, 2019	15th	Sea Blue
Okamura Homare (岡村ほまれ)	May 9, 2005 (age 16)		A			Daisy	Child actress and model (2014-)
Yamazaki Mei (山﨑愛生)	June 28, 2005 (age 16)	Hokkaido	B			Bright Green	Former Hello Pro Kenshuusei Hokkaido (2016-2019)

Former Members

Name	Birthdate	Home Prefecture	Date Joined	Gen	Date left/ graduated	Member Color	Notes
Nakazawa Yuko (中澤裕子)	June 19, 1973 (age 48)	Kyoto	September 7, 1997	1st	April 15, 2001	N/A	Leader (1997–2001) Dream Morning Musume
Ishiguro Aya (石黒彩)	May 12, 1978 (age 43)	Hokkaido			January 7, 2000	N/A	Tanpopo member
Iida Kaori (飯田圭織)	August 8, 1981 (age 40)				January 30, 2005	N/A	Leader (2001–2005) Member of: Tanpopo, Morning Musume Otome Gumi, Morning Musume Tanjou 10nen Kinentai, Dream Morning Musume
Abe Natsumi (安倍なつみ)	August 10, 1981 (age 40)				January 25, 2004	N/A	Member of: Morning Musume Sakura Gumi, Tanjou 10nen Kinentai, Dream Morning Musume
Fukuda Asuka (福田明日香)	December 17, 1984 (age 37)	Tokyo			April 18, 1999	N/A	Later joined PEACE$TONE
Yasuda Kei (保田圭)	December 6, 1980 (age 41)	Chiba	May 3, 1998	2nd	May 5, 2003	N/A	Sub-leader (2001–2003) Member of: Petitmoni, Dream Morning Musume
Yaguchi Mari (矢口真里)	January 20, 1983 (age 39)	Kanagawa			April 14, 2005	Light Purple	Leader (2005) Previously sub-leader (2003–2005) No graduation ceremony Member of: Tanpopo, Minimoni (leader), Sakura Gumi, Dream Morning Musume
Ichii Sayaka (市井紗耶香)	December 31, 1983 (age 38)	Chiba			May 21, 2000	N/A	Petitmoni member
Goto Maki (後藤真希)	September 23, 1985 (age 36)	Tokyo	August 22, 1999	3rd	September 23, 2002	N/A	Member of: Petitmoni, Tanjou 10nen Kinentai
Ishikawa Rika (石川梨華)	January 19, 1985 (age 37)	Kanagawa	April 16, 2000	4th	May 7, 2005	Hot Pink	Member of: Tanpopo, Otome Gumi, v-u-den, Dream Morning Musume
Yoshizawa Hitomi (吉澤ひとみ)	April 12, 1985 (age 36)	Saitama			May 6, 2007	Purple	Leader (2005–2007) Previously sub-leader (2005) Member of: Petitmoni, Sakura Gumi, Dream Morning Musume
Tsuji Nozomi (辻希美)	June 17, 1987 (age 34)	Tokyo			August 1, 2004	N/A	Member of: Otome Gumi, Minimoni, Later joined W
Kago Ai (加護亜依)	February 7, 1988 (age 33)	Nara				N/A	Member of: Tanpopo, Minimoni, Sakura Gumi Later joined W Later formed Girls Beat!!
Takahashi Ai (高橋愛)	September 14, 1986 (age 35)	Fukui	August 26, 2001	5th	September 30, 2011	Yellow	Leader (2007–2011) Previously sub-leader (2007) Member of: Minimoni, Sakura Gumi
Konno Asami (紺野あさ美)	May 7, 1987 (age 34)	Hokkaido			July 23, 2006	Pink	Member of: Tanpopo, Sakura Gumi
Ogawa Makoto (小川麻琴)	October 29, 1987 (age 34)	Niigata			August 27, 2006	Blue	Member of: Petitmoni, Otome Gumi, Dream Morning Musume
Niigaki Risa (新垣里沙)	October 20, 1988 (age 33)	Kanagawa			May 18, 2012	Yellow-Green	Leader (2011–2012) Previously sub-leader (2007–2011) Member of: Tanpopo, Sakura Gumi, Tanjou 10nen Kinentai
Fujimoto Miki (藤本美貴)	February 26, 1985 (age 36)	Hokkaido	January 7, 2003	6th	June 1, 2007	Red	Leader (2007) Previously sub-leader (2005–2007) Resigned without a graduation ceremony Member of: Otome Gumi, Dream Morning Musume
Kamei Eri (亀井絵里)	December 23, 1988 (age 33)	Tokyo	January 19, 2003		December 15, 2010	Orange	Sakura Gumi member
Michishige Sayumi (道重さゆみ)	July 13, 1989 (age 32)	Yamaguchi			November 26, 2014	Pink	Leader (2012–2014) Otome Gumi member
Tanaka Reina (田中れいな)	November 11, 1989 (age 32)	Fukuoka			May 21, 2013	Light Blue	Otome Gumi member Later joined LoVendoЯ
Kusumi Koharu (久住小春)	July 15, 1992 (age 29)	Niigata	May 1, 2005	7th	December 6, 2009	Red	Former member of Tanjou 10nen Kinentai, Dream Morning Musume
Mitsui Aika (光井愛佳)	January 12, 1993 (age 29)	Shiga	December 10, 2006	8th	May 18, 2012	Light Purple
Junjun (ジュンジュン)	January 11, 1988 (age 34)	Hunan, China	March 15, 2007		December 15, 2010	Blue	Foreign student
Linlin (リンリン)	March 11, 1991 (age 30)	Zhejiang, China				Emerald Green	Foreign student Former Hello Pro Egg
Sayashi Riho (鞘師里保)	May 28, 1998 (age 23)	Hiroshima	January 2, 2011	9th	December 31, 2015	Red	Former Peaberry member
Suzuki Kanon (鈴木香音)	August 5, 1998 (age 23)	Aichi			May 31, 2016	Green
Iikubo Haruna (飯窪春菜)	November 7, 1994 (age 27)	Tokyo	September 29, 2011	10th	December 16, 2018	Honey	Sub-leader (2013-2018)
Sato Masaki (佐藤優樹)	May 7, 1999 (age 22)	Hokkaido			December 13, 2021	Emerald Green
Kudo Haruka (工藤遥)	October 27, 1999 (age 22)	Saitama			December 11, 2017	Orange	Former Hello Pro Egg (2010-2011)
Ogata Haruna (尾形春水)	February 15, 1999 (age 22)	Osaka	September 30, 2014	12th	June 20, 2018	Sea Blue

Leadership

Leaders

#	Leader	Period of time	Total Time	Sub-leaders
1st	Nakazawa Yuko	September 7, 1997 - April 15, 2001	3 Years, 7 Months, 8 Days	None
2nd	Iida Kaori	April 16, 2001 - January 30, 2005	3 Years, 9 Months, 14 Days	Yasuda Kei (2001-2003)
				Yaguchi Mari (2003-2005)
3rd	Yaguchi Mari	January 31, 2005 - April 14, 2005	2 Months 14 Days	Yoshizawa Hitomi (2005)
4th	Yoshizawa Hitomi	April 15, 2005 - May 6, 2007	2 Years, 21 Days	Fujimoto Miki (2005-2007)
5th	Fujimoto Miki	May 7, 2007 - June 1, 2007	25 Days	Takahashi Ai (2007)
6th	Takahashi Ai	June 2, 2007 - September 30, 2011	4 Years, 3 Months, 28 Days	Niigaki Risa (2007-2011)
7th	Niigaki Risa	October 1, 2011 - May 18, 2012	7 Months, 17 Days	None
8th	Michishige Sayumi	May 19, 2012 - November 26, 2014	2 Years, 6 Months, 7 Days	None (2012-2013)
				Fukumura Mizuki (2013-2014)
				Iikubo Haruna (2013-2014)
9th	Fukumura Mizuki	November 27, 2014 - Present	7 Years, 1 Month, 24 Days	Iikubo Haruna (2014-2018)
				Ikuta Erina (2014-Present)
				Ishida Ayumi (2018-Present)

Sub-Leaders

#	Sub-Leader	Period of time	Total Time	Sub-leader For
N/A	None	September 7, 1997 - April 15, 2001	3 Years, 7 Months, 8 Days	N/A
1st	Yasuda Kei	April 16, 2001 - May 5, 2003	2 Years, 19 Days	Iida Kaori
2nd	Yaguchi Mari	May 5th, 2003 - January 30, 2005	1 Year, 8 Months, 25 Days
3rd	Yoshizawa Hitomi	January 31, 2005 - April 14, 2005	2 Months 14 Days	Yaguchi Mari
4th	Fujimoto Miki	April 15, 2005 - May 6, 2007	2 Years, 21 Days	Yoshizawa Hitomi
5th	Takahashi Ai	May 7, 2007 - June 1, 2007	25 Days	Fujimoto Miki
6th	Niigaki Risa	June 2, 2007 - September 30, 2011	4 Years, 3 Months, 28 Days	Takahashi Ai
N/A	None	October 1, 2011 - May 20, 2013	1 Year, 7 Months, 19 Days	N/A
7th	Fukumura Mizuki	May 21, 2013 - November 26, 2014	1 Year, 6 Months, 5 Days	Michishige Sayumi
	Iikubo Haruna	May 21, 2013 - December 16, 2018	5 Years, 6 Months, 25 Days
				Fukumura Mizuki
8th	Ikuta Erina	November 27, 2014 - Present	7 Years, 1 Month, 24 Days
9th	Ishida Ayumi	December 31, 2018 - Present	3 Years, 0 Months, 20 Days

• The sub-leader position was established on April 16, 2001, when Iida Kaori became the second leader.
• The sub-leader position was vacant from October 1, 2011 to May 21, 2013, until Tanaka Reina graduated and assigned Fukumura Mizuki and Iikubo Haruna as the new sub-leaders.

Members Colors

Each Morning Musume member has her own color for outfits and merchandise to distinguish between each member. Over time, as each member leaves the group, current or new members have the opportunity to change their current color to a different one which is available. No member has the exact same color, but some might have colors that look fairly similar to another member's.

Heritage Members Colors

Official member colors were introduced in the spring of 2005.

Color	Member	Former Owner
Red Italian Red	Kaga Kaede (2016-Present)	Fujimoto Miki (2005-2007), Kusumi Koharu (2007-2009), Sayashi Riho (2011-2015)
Orange	Haga Akane (2019-Present)	Kamei Eri (2005-2010), Kudo Haruka (2011-2017)
Light Orange	Not in use	Haga Akane (2015-2019)
Gold / Golden Yellow	Yokoyama Reina (2016-Present)	Takahashi Ai (2005-2006)
Honey / Daisy Yellow	Okamura Homare (2019-Present)	Michishige Sayumi (2005-2006), Takahashi Ai (2006-2011), Iikubo Haruna (2012-2018)
Yellow-Green	Ikuta Erina (2012-Present)	Niigaki Risa (2005-2012)
Green Bright Green	Yamazaki Mei (2019-Present)	Suzuki Kanon (2011-2016)
Emerald Green	Not in use	Linlin (2007-2010), Sato Masaki (2011-2021)
Light Blue Sea Blue	Kitagawa Rio (2019-Present)	Tanaka Reina (2005-2013), Ogata Haruna (2015-2018)
Royal Blue Blue	Ishida Ayumi (2011-Present)	Ogawa Makoto (2005-2006), Junjun (2007-2010)
Light Purple Lavender	Oda Sakura (2012-Present)	Yaguchi Mari (2005), Mitsui Aika (2006-2012)
Purple	Nonaka Miki (2015-Present)	Yoshizawa Hitomi (2005-2007), Ikuta Erina (2011-2012)
Hot Pink	Fukumura Mizuki (2011-Present)	Ishikawa Rika (2005)
Pink	Makino Maria (2019-Present)	Konno Asami (2005-2006), Michishige Sayumi (2006-2014)
Light Pink	Not in use	Makino Maria (2015-2019)
Grey	Not in use	Kusumi Koharu (2005-2007)
White	Morito Chisaki (2017-Present)
Chocolate	Not in use	Iikubo Haruna (2011-2012)

Tenures

• Notable tenures
• All Member Tenures

Members of Morning Musume rarely stay in the group for more than eight years, and to date only nine members have done this.

Member	Tenure	Time in group
Michishige Sayumi	January 19, 2003 – November 26, 2014	11 Years, 10 Months, 7 Days
Fukumura Mizuki	January 2, 2011 - Present	11 Years, 0 Months, 18 Days
Ikuta Erina
Niigaki Risa	August 26, 2001 – May 18, 2012	10 Years, 8 Months, 23 Days
Tanaka Reina	January 19, 2003 – May 21, 2013	10 Years, 4 Months, 2 Days
Ishida Ayumi	September 29, 2011 - Present	10 Years, 3 Months, 22 Days
Sato Masaki	September 29, 2011 - December 13, 2021	10 Years, 2 Months, 14 Days
Takahashi Ai	August 26, 2001 – September 30, 2011	10 Years, 1 Month, 4 Days
Oda Sakura	September 14, 2012 - Present	9 Years, 4 Months, 6 Days

All names in BOLD are current members.

1. Michishige Sayumi: 11 Years, 10 Months, 7 Days
2. Fukumura Mizuki and Ikuta Erina: 11 Years, 0 Months, 18 Days
3. Niigaki Risa: 10 Years, 8 Months, 23 Days
4. Tanaka Reina: 10 Years, 4 Months, 2 Days
5. Ishida Ayumi: 10 Years, 3 Months, 22 Days
6. Sato Masaki: 10 Years, 2 Months, 14 Days
7. Takahashi Ai: 10 Years, 1 Month, 4 Days
8. Oda Sakura: 9 Years, 4 Months, 6 Days
9. Kamei Eri: 7 Years, 10 Months, 27 Days
10. Iida Kaori: 7 Years, 4 Months, 24 Days
11. Nonaka Miki, Makino Maria and Haga Akane: 7 Years, 3 Months, 21 Days
12. Iikubo Haruna: 7 Years, 2 Months, 17 Days
13. Yoshizawa Hitomi: 7 Years, 20 Days
14. Yaguchi Mari: 6 Years, 11 Months, 12 Days
15. Abe Natsumi: 6 Years, 4 Months, 18 Days
16. Kudo Haruka: 6 Years, 2 Months, 12 Days
17. Mitsui Aika: 5 Years, 5 Months, 8 Days
18. Suzuki Kanon: 5 Years, 4 Months, 29 Days
19. Kaga Kaede and Yokoyama Reina: 5 Years, 1 Month, 8 Days
20. Ishikawa Rika: 5 Years, 21 Days
21. Yasuda Kei: 5 Years, 2 Days
22. Ogawa Makoto: 5 Years, 1 Day
23. Sayashi Riho: 4 Years, 11 Months, 29 Days
24. Konno Asami: 4 Years, 10 Months, 27 Days
25. Kusumi Koharu: 4 Years, 7 Months, 5 Days
26. Morito Chisaki: 4 Years, 6 Months, 25 Days
27. Fujimoto Miki: 4 Years, 4 Months, 13 Days
28. Tsuji Nozomi and Kago Ai: 4 Years, 3 Months, 16 Days
29. Junjun and Linlin: 3 Years, 9 Months
30. Ogata Haruna: 3 Years, 8 Months, 21 Days
31. Nakazawa Yuko: 3 Years, 7 Months, 8 Days
32. Goto Maki: 3 Years, 1 Month, 1 Day
33. Kitagawa Rio, Okamura Homare and Yamazaki Mei: 2 Years, 6 Months, 29 Days
34. Ishiguro Aya: 2 Years, 4 Months
35. Ichii Sayaka: 2 Years, 18 Days
36. Fukuda Asuka: 1 Year, 7 Months, 11 Days

Mentors

Beginning with 3rd generation, when a new member joins Morning Musume, a senior member is sometimes assigned to be their mentor. The mentor system was dropped after the 7th generation, but was officially brought back for the 12th generation.

• Official Mentors
• Unofficial Mentors

• 3rd Generation
  • Ichii Sayaka → Goto Maki
• 4th Generation
  • Yasuda Kei → Ishikawa Rika (vocals)
  • Yaguchi Mari → Yoshizawa Hitomi (expressive power)
  • Iida Kaori → Tsuji Nozomi (rhythm)
  • Goto Maki → Kago Ai (greetings and manners)
• 7th Generation
  • Michishige Sayumi → Kusumi Koharu
• 12th Generation
  • Iikubo Haruna → mentor to all 12th generation members
• 13th Generation
  • Kudo Haruka → mentor to all 13th generation members
• 15th Generation
  • Kaga Kaede, Yokoyama Reina → mentor to all 15th generation members

5th Generation

• Yoshizawa Hitomi → Takahashi Ai
• Abe Natsumi → Konno Asami
• Ishikawa Rika → Ogawa Makoto
• Yaguchi Mari → Niigaki Risa

6th Generation

• Yasuda Kei → mentor to all 6th generation members

8th Generation

• Kusumi Koharu → Mitsui Aika
• Kamei Eri, Tanaka Reina → Junjun

9th Generation

• Mitsui Aika → mentor to all 9th generation members

10th Generation

• Mitsui Aika → mentor to all 10th generation members

12th Generation

• Ikuta Erina → watchdog to all 12th generation members
• Sato Masaki → rhythm coach to all 12th generation members
• Ishida Ayumi, Kudo Haruka → performance coaches to all 12th generation members
• Oda Sakura → posing coach to all 12th generation members

Members Single Count

Generation	Member	Debut Single	Last Single	Single Count
1st Generation (1997)	Nakazawa Yuko	Ai no Tane	Ren'ai Revolution 21	12 Singles
	Ishiguro Aya		LOVE Machine	8 Singles
	Iida Kaori		THE Manpower!!!	26 Singles
	Abe Natsumi		Ai Araba IT'S ALL RIGHT	22 Singles
	Fukuda Asuka		Memory Seishun no Hikari	5 Singles
2nd Generation (1998)	Yasuda Kei	Summer Night Town	AS FOR ONE DAY	17 Singles
	Yaguchi Mari		Osaka Koi no Uta	25 Singles
	Ichii Sayaka		Happy Summer Wedding	8 Singles
3rd Generation (1999)	Goto Maki	LOVE Machine	Do it! Now	9 Singles
4th Generation (2000)	Ishikawa Rika	Happy Summer Wedding	Osaka Koi no Uta	18 Singles
	Yoshizawa Hitomi		Kanashimi Twilight	25 Singles
	Tsuji Nozomi		Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari	15 Singles
	Kago Ai
5th Generation (2001)	Takahashi Ai	Mr.Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~	Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo!	35 Singles
	Konno Asami		Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii jan	18 Singles
	Ogawa Makoto
	Niigaki Risa		Ren'ai Hunter	37 Singles
6th Generation (2003)	Fujimoto Miki	Shabondama	Kanashimi Twilight	15 Singles
	Kamei Eri		Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game	26 Singles
	Michishige Sayumi		TIKI BUN / Shabadaba Doo~ / Mikaeri Bijin	39 Singles
	Tanaka Reina		Brainstorming / Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai	35 Singles
7th Generation (2005)	Kusumi Koharu	Iroppoi Jirettai	Kimagure Princess	15 Singles
8th Generation (2006/2007)	Mitsui Aika	Egao YES Nude	Ren'ai Hunter	18 Singles
	Junjun	Onna ni Sachi Are	Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game	11 Singles
	Linlin
9th Generation (2011)	Fukumura Mizuki	Maji Desu ka Ska!	Present	28 Singles
	Ikuta Erina
	Sayashi Riho		Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi / ENDLESS SKY / One and Only	16 Singles
	Suzuki Kanon		Utakata Saturday Night! / The Vision / Tokyo to Iu Katasumi	17 Singles
10th Generation (2011)	Iikubo Haruna	Pyocopyoco Ultra	Furari Ginza / Jiyuu na Kuni Dakara	21 Singles
	Ishida Ayumi		Present	25 Singles
	Sato Masaki		Teenage Solution / Yoshi Yoshi Shite Hoshii no / Beat no Wakusei	24 Singles [N7]
	Kudo Haruka		Gosenfu no Tasuki	18 Singles
11th Generation (2012)	Oda Sakura	Help me!!	Present	21 Singles
12th Generation (2014)	Ogata Haruna	Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru / Yuugure wa Ameagari / Ima Koko Kara	Are you Happy? / A gonna	10 Singles
	Nonaka Miki		Present	15 Singles
	Makino Maria
	Haga Akane
13th Generation (2016)	Kaga Kaede	BRAND NEW MORNING / Jealousy Jealousy		10 Singles
	Yokoyama Reina
14th Generation (2017)	Morito Chisaki	Jama Shinai de Here We Go! / Dokyuu no Go Sign / Wakain da shi!		9 Singles
15th Generation (2019)	Kitagawa Rio	KOKORO&KARADA / LOVEpedia / Ningen Kankei No way way		3 Singles
	Okamura Homare
	Yamazaki Mei

Members Line-Ups

Date	Member(s)	Total Members	Age Average	Singles Released with Line-up
August 20, 1997 (Formation)	Group formation. Founding members include Nakazawa Yuko, Ishiguro Aya, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, and Fukuda Asuka.	5	17.40	Ai no Tane, Morning Coffee
May 3, 1998	Yasuda Kei, Yaguchi Mari, and Ichii Sayaka join as the 2nd generation.	8	16.75	Summer Night Town, Daite HOLD ON ME!, Memory Seishun no Hikari
April 18, 1999	Fukuda Asuka graduates.	7	18.29	Manatsu no Kousen, Furusato
August 22, 1999	Goto Maki joins as the 3rd generation.	8	18.13	LOVE Machine
January 7, 2000	Ishiguro Aya graduates.	7	18.14	Koi no Dance Site
April 16, 2000	Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi, Tsuji Nozomi, and Kago Ai join as the 4th generation.	11	16.55	Happy Summer Wedding
May 21, 2000	Ichii Sayaka graduates.	10	16.60	I WISH, Ren'ai Revolution 21
April 15 2001	Nakazawa Yuko graduates.	9	16.56	The☆Peace!
August 26, 2001	Takahashi Ai, Konno Asami, Ogawa Makoto, and Niigaki Risa join as the 5th generation.	13	15.77	Mr.Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~, Souda! We're ALIVE, Do it! Now
September 23, 2002	Goto Maki graduates.	12	16.92	Koko ni Iruzee!
January 19, 2003	Fujimoto Miki[N1], Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, and Tanaka Reina join as the 6th generation.	16	16.50	Morning Musume no Hyokkori Hyoutanjima[N2], AS FOR ONE DAY[N2]
May 5, 2003	Yasuda Kei graduates.	15	16.40	Shabondama, Go Girl ~Koi no Victory~, Ai Araba IT'S ALL RIGHT
January 25, 2004	Abe Natsumi graduates.	14	16.86	Roman ~MY DEAR BOY~, Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari
August 1, 2004	Tsuji Nozomi and Kago Ai graduate.	12	17.42	Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago, THE Manpower!!!
January 30, 2005	Iida Kaori graduates.	11	17.64	None
April 14, 2005	Yaguchi Mari leaves.	10	17.40	Osaka Koi no Uta[N3]
May 1, 2005	Kusumi Koharu joins as the 7th generation.	11	16.91	None
May 7, 2005	Ishikawa Rika graduates.	10	16.70	Iroppoi Jirettai, Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo!~, SEXY BOY ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~, Ambitious! Yashinteki de Ii jan
July 23, 2006	Konno Asami graduates.	9	17.78	None
August 27, 2006	Ogawa Makoto graduates.	8	17.75	Aruiteru
December 10, 2006	Mitsui Aika joins as the 8th generation.	9	17.56	Egao YES Nude
March 15, 2007	Junjun and Linlin join as 8th generation exchange students.	11	17.82	Kanashimi Twilight[N4]
May 6, 2007	Yoshizawa Hitomi graduates.	10	17.50	None
June 1, 2007	Fujimoto Miki leaves.	9	17.00	Onna ni Sachi Are, Mikan, Resonant Blue, Pepper Keibu, Naichau Kamo, Shouganai Yume Oibito, Nanchatte Ren'ai, Kimagure Princess
December 6, 2009	Kusumi Koharu graduates.	8	19.88	Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai, Seishun Collection, Onna to Otoko no Lullaby Game
December 15, 2010	Kamei Eri, Junjun, and Linlin graduate.	5	21.00	None
January 2, 2011	Fukumura Mizuki, Ikuta Erina, Sayashi Riho and Suzuki Kanon join as the 9th generation.	9	17.33	Maji Desu ka Ska!, Only you, Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo!
September 29, 2011	Iikubo Haruna, Ishida Ayumi, Sato Masaki and Kudo Haruka join as the 10th generation.	13	16.54	None
September 30, 2011	Takahashi Ai graduates.	12	15.83	Pyocopyoco Ultra, Ren'ai Hunter
May 18, 2012	Niigaki Risa and Mitsui Aika graduate.	10	15.60	One•Two•Three / The Matenrou Show
September 14, 2012	Oda Sakura joins as the 11th generation.	11	15.73	Wakuteka Take a chance[N5], Help me!!, Brainstorming / Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai
May 21, 2013	Tanaka Reina graduates.	10	15.70	Wagamama Ki no Mama Ai no Joke / Ai no Gundan, Egao no Kimi wa Taiyou sa / Kimi no Kawari wa Iyashinai / What is LOVE?, Toki wo Koe Sora wo Koe / Password is 0
September 30, 2014	Ogata Haruna, Nonaka Miki, Makino Maria and Haga Akane join as the 12th generation.	14	16.07	TIKI BUN / Shabadaba Doo~ / Mikaeri Bijin[N6]
November 26, 2014	Michishige Sayumi graduates.	13	15.69	Seishun Kozou ga Naiteiru / Yuugure wa Ameagari / Ima Koko Kara, Oh my wish! / Sukatto My Heart / Imasugu Tobikomu Yuuki, Tsumetai Kaze to Kataomoi / ENDLESS SKY / One and Only
December 31, 2015	Sayashi Riho graduates.	12	16.66	Utakata Saturday Night! / The Vision / Tokyo to Iu Katasumi
May 31, 2016	Suzuki Kanon graduates.	11	17.54	Sexy Cat no Enzetsu / Mukidashi de Mukiatte / Sou ja nai
December 12, 2016	Kaga Kaede and Yokoyama Reina join as the 13th generation.	13	17.38	BRAND NEW MORNING / Jealousy Jealousy
June 26, 2017	Morito Chisaki joins as the 14th generation.	14	17.86	Jama Shinai de Here We Go! / Dokyuu no Go Sign / Wakain da shi!, Gosenfu no Tasuki
December 11, 2017	Kudo Haruka graduates.	13	18.31	Hana ga Saku Taiyou Abite, Are you Happy? / A gonna
June 20, 2018	Ogata Haruna graduates.	12	18.91	Furari Ginza / Jiyuu na Kuni Dakara
December 16, 2018	Iikubo Haruna graduates.	11	18.90	Jinsei Blues / Seishun Night
June 22, 2019	Kitagawa Rio, Okamura Homare and Yamazaki Mei join as the 15th generation.	14	18.36	KOKORO&KARADA / LOVEpedia / Ningen Kankei No way way, Junjou Evidence / Gyuusaretai Dake na no ni, Teenage Solution / Yoshi Yoshi Shite Hoshii no / Beat no Wakusei
December 13, 2021	Sato Masaki graduates.	13	20.62	TBA

Trivia

Records

Every member of Morning Musume has been in at least one single that ranked #1 on the Oricon weekly single chart. As of March 27, 2019, Fukumura Mizuki is the longest serving leader at 7 Years, 1 Month, 24 Days. She beat Takahashi Ai's previous record of 4 years, 3 months, and 28 days. As of June 2020, Ikuta Erina is the longest-serving sub-leader at 7 Years, 1 Month, 24 Days She beat Iikubo Haruna's previous record of 5 years, 6 months, and 25 days. Kudo Haruka is the youngest person to ever join Morning Musume at the age of 11 years and 11 months, and auditioning at age 11. She beat Kago Ai's 11-year record which was set at the age of 12. Fukumura Mizuki holds the record for being the youngest sub-leader and youngest leader the group has ever had. Iida Kaori holds the record for being the fastest member to earn the leadership role with 3 years and 7 months. Niigaki Risa holds the record for the longest tenure before achieving the leadership position with 10 years. From June 1, 2007 to December 6, 2009, there were no graduations or new members until Kusumi Koharu graduated. This marks Morning Musume's most stable line-up, with a record of eight singles released before any there were any line-up changes (See Platinum Era for more information). As of September 2016, the 10th generation became the longest lasting full generation, and continued on as a full generation through December 2017 for a total of 6 Years, 2 Months, 12 Days. As of September 2017, the 10th generation is the first generation in which all the members have reached 6 years in the group. As of April 2017, Oda Sakura is the longest lasting one-member generation at 9 Years, 4 Months, 6 Days. The previous record belonged to 7th generation member Kusumi Koharu who was in the group for 4 years, 7 months, and 5 days. From joining to debuting on a single, Goto Maki is the fastest to debut with a total of 18 days. From joining to debuting on a single, the 15th generation have taken the longest to debut with a total of 7 Months. As of September 2018, 16 of the 44 past and present members have been in the group for 6 years, making 1/3 of the group meet this milestone. From September 29, 2017 to December 11, 2017, the group had a total of 6 members in the group that have been in the group for over 6 years. This made it the first ever line-up to ever have that many members in the group that have been there for 6 years. The previous record was in the January 2009 to December 2010 line-up, which had Takahashi Ai, Niigaki Risa, Kamei Eri, Michishige Sayumi, and Tanaka Reina be in the group for 6+ years at that point. The 1st to 14th generations all had debuted in the Heisei Era (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2017), while the 15th and onwards will debut in the Reiwa Era (2019-). Nakazawa Yuko and Fukumura Mizuki are currently tied for being the leader with the most generation debuts with 4 generations each. For Nakazawa it's the 1st-4th, and for Fukumura it's the 12th-15th. Yaguchi Mari and Fujimoto Miki are they only leaders to have not participated in a Morning Musume single during their time as leader (both had resigned before they could participate in one as leader). Iida Kaori has had the most graduations during her time as leader, with a total of 6 members graduating; Goto Maki in 2002, Yasuda Kei in 2003, Abe Natsumi in early 2004, Tsuji Nozomi and Kago Ai in mid-2004, and finally herself in 2005. As of December 2021, Fukumura Mizuki has also had 6 members graduate during her time as leader, those being Sayashi Riho in 2015, Suzuki Kanon in 2016, Kudo Haruka in 2017, Ogata Haruna in mid-2018, Iikubo Haruna in late 2018, and Sato Masaki in 2021. Yaguchi Mari and Fujimoto Miki are tied with being the leader with the least amount of graduations during their times as leaders with 0 graduations.

Notes on Generations

The 11th generation is the first generation to have the members all be born after the group's formation. Morning Musume received eight new members in 2011 (the 9th generation and 10th generation with 4 members each), making it the only year when two generations were added. Every generation from 8th to 13th had at least one former Hello Pro Kenshuusei. The 11th and 13th generations are entirely composed of Hello Pro Kenshuusei. The 3rd, 7th, and 8th generations are the only generations to have no member be a leader or sub-leader of the group before they all graduated. To date, the 6th and 8th generations are the only generations to have members to joining on two separate dates; the 6th generation with a 13 days difference, and the 8th generation with a 3 months difference (from December 2006 to March 2007). The 7th, 12th, and 13th generations are the only generations to hold more than one audition. The 3rd, 4th and 14th generations are the only ones to have their debut single also be a graduation single. The 12th and 14th generations are currently the only generations in the group to have debuted with a triple A-side single and also the only generations which their debut singles did not have a B-side. The 9th, 11th, 13th and 14th generation are the only generations which match the member count on debut (9 members with 9th generation, 11 with 11th, 13 with 13th, and 14 with the 14th). The 14th generation is the only generation in which there was no audition to join the group. The 14th generation marks the first time in the history of the group to have 6 generations in the group at the same time (9th-14th). The 15th generation marks the first time in the history of the group to have 7 generations in the group at the same time (9th-15th) The 3rd, 7th, and 8th generations (not counting active generations) are the only ones in which none of the members were in the group for more than 6 years. The 1st generation had the most members to come from the same Prefecture with a total of 3 out of 5 members. Those members are Ishiguro Aya, Iida Kaori and Abe Natsumi who were all born in Hokkaido, Japan. 7th and 8th Generation were the only two generations in which none of the singles they participated in sold over 100,000 copies.

Other Trivia

2008 and 2020 were the only years in which there were no line-up changes. 2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020 and 2021 are the only years in which no new members were added. 2008, 2019, and 2020 are the only years in which no members had graduated. Sayashi Riho and Suzuki Kanon are the first members to have been born after the group's formation in 1997 (both were born in 1998), whereas Makino Maria and Haga Akane (born in 2001 and 2002 respectively) are the first members to join the group that were born in the 21st century. 1st generation member Fukuda Asuka is the only former member that had never participated in any type of unit or sub-group during her time in Hello! Project. 8th generation members Junjun and Linlin are the only members to graduate before a new generation has joined the group. The most common age for members to join are at 12 and 13 years of age, with each having 9 members of those ages joining the group. The most common age for members to graduate or leave is at 22 years of age, with 7 members graduating at that age. Nakazawa Yuko, Yoshizawa Hitomi, and Fukumura Mizuki are the only leaders whose order match their generation (Nakazawa as the first leader, Yoshizawa as the fourth leader, and Fukumura as the ninth leader). Yaguchi Mari and Takahashi Ai are the only sub-leaders whose order match their generation (Yaguchi was the second sub-leader and Takahashi was the fifth sub-leader). Yasuda Kei and Iikubo Haruna are the only sub-leaders to have graduated that did not become the groups leader. Iikubo Haruna is the only sub-leader to have gone through two different leadership reigns with Michishige Sayumi (2013-2014), and Fukumura Mizuki (2014-2018). Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Yasuda Kei and Yaguchi Mari are the only members to have participated in nine singles that ranked #1 on the Oricon weekly single chart. Out of the 27 graduated members and 2 resigned members only Ishiguro Aya, Yasuda Kei, Ichii Sayaka, Tanaka Reina, Sayashi Riho and Ogata Haruna are the only members to have their graduating single rank #1 on the Oricon weekly charts. The year 1999 has the most member births out of any year with 6 members being born that year, in order it is: Ogata Haruna (February 15), Oda Sakura (March 12), Sato Masaki (May 7), Nonaka Miki (October 7), Kudo Haruka (October 27), and Kaga Kaede (November 30). Coincidentally they all are blood type A. 6th generation member Fujimoto Miki and 14th generation member Morito Chisaki are the only two members who have had other activities within Hello! Project (as a soloist and Country Girls member, respectively) before joining Morning Musume. As of June 2017, the most member births in one month is February with 6 member births, the members that are born in February are in order: Makino Maria (February 2, 2001), Kago Ai (February 7, 1988), Ogata Haruna (February 15, 1999), Morito Chisaki (February 19, 2000), Yokoyama Reina (February 22, 2001), and Fujimoto Miki (February 26, 1985). As of December 2018, Fukumura Mizuki has had the most sub-leaders during her time as leader with a total of three: Iikubo Haruna (2014-2018), Ikuta Erina (2014-Present), and Ishida Ayumi (2018-Present)

See Also

• Morning Musume Auditions
• Hello Pro Kenshuusei
• Hello Pro Kenshuusei Hokkaido

Notes

1. ^ While the 6th generation joined the group on January 19, 2003, Fujimoto Miki was officially announced as the first 6th generation member on January 7, 2003.
2. ^ ^ Both singles do not include the 6th generation, but they were already members at time of release.
3. ^ Because of her sudden resignation, Yaguchi Mari was still featured in the single.
4. ^ The single does not include Junjun and Linlin, but both were already members at the time of the release.
5. ^ The single originally did not include Oda Sakura, but she was already a member during the time of the release. "Wakuteka Take a change (Oda Sakura Ver.)" was released DVD track 2 for the limited C edition for "Help me!!".
6. ^ The single does not include the 12th generation, but they were already members at the time of the release.
7. ^ Sato Masaki was not able to be featured in the 63rd single, "BRAND NEW MORNING / Jealousy Jealousy," due to her recovering from an injury during its production period.

External Link

• Wikipedia: English