モーニング娘。「12期オーディション」つんく♂がサプライズ発表!!　#Morning Musume　#Japanese Idol

Producer Tsunku♂ announced on March 16th that auditions will be held for the idol group Morning Musume's 12th generation members. Tsunku♂ made a surprise appearance during the group's Tanaka Reina graduation tour in Hachioji, Tokyo, where he made the announcement. The new audition will have the theme "Future Girl Audition," and Tsunku♂ declared, "We want to discover natural, future-oriented girls who will shape the future of Morning Musume." The audition will be open to females aged 10 to 17 until April 30th. Oda Sakura, who recently joined the group as an 11th generation member, crouched down in surprise upon hearing the announcement, but said, "I had a feeling this kind of announcement would come before the show started." Kudo Haruka, a 10th generation member, pleaded with Tsunku♂, "Eh, isn't it too early? I don't want any overly boyish girls joining. Leave that to me." Tanaka, who is about to graduate, expressed her expectations for the new members, saying, "I want some yankii to join. When Reina graduates, there won't be any problem children. I hope we can get some assertive girls who can compete with us." Meanwhile, leader Michishige said, "If I say I'm the cutest right now, I'm not joking because she's so cute. I want the 12th generation members to be exceptionally cute, so cute that I'll be a joke." Her bold statement, expressing her hopes for rivals, excited the audience, and called on fans to "keep up with Morning Musume as they continue to evolve." This tour marks the group's first solo tour with the new 11-member lineup since 11th generation member Oda joined. The final performance, May 21, will be held at Nippon Budokan (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo), marking Tanaka's graduation performance. On the first day, Tanaka's girl band, LoVendoR, debuted a song, and Juice=Juice, a new unit formed from Hello! Project trainees, also made an appearance. (Mainichi Shimbun Digital) #### Producer Tsunku announced on March 16 that the audition for the 12th generation member of idol group "Morning Musume" will be conducted.