On April 11th, Morning Musume held a release event to commemorate their new single, "Renai Hunter".

As we reported earlier, leader Niigaki Risa will be graduating on May 18th at Nippon Budokan. During the event, Niigaki strongly stated, "A month will go by in a blink of an eye, so I want to treasure everyday." Regarding her plans after graduation, she revealed, "I will be in 2 stage plays. I hope to continue my activities with a focus on theater."

Niigaki joined Morning Musume as a 5th generation member and made her debut with "Mr. Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~". Regarding her final single, she commented, "The message of 'Renai Hunter' is strong. I'm encouraged just by singing it. It turned out to be a cool and stylish song."

Meanwhile, member Tanaka Reina shared that she heard about Niigaki's graduation at the end of last year. "The graduation doesn't seem real to me," she said, and continued, "Gaki-san brings everything together, but Reina and Sayu (Michishige Sayumi) are carefree, so I'm worried we won't be able to bring things together."

Hearing this, Niigaki responded, "After graduating, I'm excited to go to a live and think about how you're trying your best. I'm not worried, it's more like, I'm counting on you."

Additionally, Niigaki announced that her graduation live on May 18th will be Morning Musume's very first live broadcast. "It will live broadcast in over 10 locations nationwide. Please watch it," she appealed.

Member�Mitsui Aika, who is currently recovering from stress fracture, participated in the event as the MC.

Check out pictures from the event below!

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Source & Photos: Mantan Web