Morning Musume's 49th single, "Renai Hunter", has sold 41,000 copies in its first week, ranking 3rd on the Oricon Weekly Single Rankings for the week of April 23rd.

This marks the group's 49th consecutive single to rank in the top 10 since their debut in January of 1998. They now hold the record for the most consecutive top 10 singles, surpassing�Hamasaki Ayumi (48 singles), B'z (47), and SMAP/THE ALFEE (46).

"Renai Hunter" is leader Niigaki Risa's last single as she will be graduating from both Morning Musume and Hello! Project after the final night of the group's nationwide tour.

Niigaki commented, "I'm very happy to be able to leave behind this huge record! This is all thanks to the support of the fans, the staff, and everyone involved. Also, I'm thankful to all the members who have graduated." She continued, "Morning Musume will continue to do their best to be a group that will be loved by everyone 10, 20 years from now."

Congratulations, girls!

Source: Oricon
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