History of Morning Musume's Generations of Members (Updated!)

History of Morning Musume’s Generations of Members

Morning Musume (モーニング娘; currently known as Morning Musume ’23) is a Japanese girl group under Hello Project. Originally formed in 1997, the group is known for its ever fluctuating lineup, with new members added and veteran members “graduating” almost every year. Throughout its career, the group has had 47 members. New members of Morning Musume are introduced in ‘generations’. Below, you will find a complete list of every generation of Morning Musume members, as well as their tenure within the group.

Key:
** – notes an active member

1st Generation

Debut: September 7, 1997
Members:
Nakazawa Yuko (graduated April 15, 2001; leader from 1997–2001)
Ishiguro Aya (graduated January 7, 2000)
Iida Kaori (graduated January 30, 2005; leader from 2001–2005)
Abe Natsumi (graduated January 25, 2004)
Fukuda Asuka (graduated April 18, 1999)

2nd Generation

Debut: May 3, 1998
Members:
Yasuda Kei (graduated May 5, 2003)
Yaguchi Mari (graduated April 14, 2005; leader in 2005)
Ichii Sayaka (graduated May 21, 2000)

3rd Generation

Debut: August 22, 1999
Members:
Goto Maki (graduated September 23, 2002)

4th Generation

Debut: April 16, 2000
Members:
Ishikawa Rika (graduated May 7, 2005)
Yoshizawa Hitomi (graduated May 6, 2007; leader from 2005–2007)
Tsuji Nozomi (graduated August 1, 2004)
Kago Ai (graduated August 1, 2004)

5th Generation

Debut: August 26, 2001
Members:
Takahashi Ai (graduated September 30, 2011; leader from 2007–2011)
Konno Asami (graduated July 23, 2006)
Ogawa Makoto (graduated August 27, 2006)
Niigaki Risa (graduated May 18, 2012; leader from 2011–2012)

6th Generation

Debut: January 7, 2003
Members:
Fujimoto Miki (graduated June 1, 2007; leader in 2007)
Kamei Eri (graduated December 15, 2010)
Michishige Sayumi (graduated November 26, 2014; leader from 2012–2014)
Tanaka Reina (graduated May 21, 2013)

7th Generation

Debut: May 1, 2005
Members:
Kusumi Koharu (graduated December 6, 2009)

8th Generation

Debut: February 12, 2016 & March 15, 2007
Members:
Mitsui Aika (graduated May 18, 2012)
Junjun (graduated December 15, 2010)
Linlin (graduated December 15, 2010)

9th Generation

Debut: January 2, 2011
Members:
Fukumura Mizuki (graduated November 29, 2023; leader from 2011–2023)
Ikuta Erina** (leader from 2023–present)
Sayashi Riho (graduated December 31, 2015)
Kanon Suzuki (graduated May 31, 2016)

10th Generation

Debut: September 29, 2011
Members:
Iikubo Haruna (graduated December 16, 2018)
Ishida Ayumi**
Sato Masaki (graduated December 13, 2021)
Kudo Haruka (graduated December 11, 2017)