2002 Happenings

people
- 6 3 new groups
- 8 8 disbanded groups
- 1 0 new leaders
- 2 1 ex-leaders
- 8 -3 joined groups
- 9 8 left groups
- 8 6 graduations
- 2 1 retirements
- 17 9 new idols
- 4 -4 born
music
- 15 7 new albums
- 37 -5 new singles

December 2002
- 21
  - Aiko (18) is born
- 18
  - Hello! Project releases “Pucchi Best 3”
    featuring Morning Musume｡, Tanpopo, Country Girls, Coconuts Musume｡, Pucchimoni, Melon Kinenbi, Minimoni｡, Happy♡7, Sexy 8 and Odoru♡11
    
    H!P
  - Gotou Maki releases “Sans Toi M'amie / Kimi to Itsumademo”
- 11
  - Matsuura Aya releases “Sougen no Hito”
- 4
  - Inaba Atsuko, Maeda Yuki, Ishii Rika, Matsuura Aya, Morning Musume｡, Country Musume｡, Coconuts Musume｡ and Melon Kinenbi release “Shinsaku Douyou Pops (Ichi)”
  - Minimoni｡ releases “Minihams no Kekkon Song”
November 2002
- 27
  - Minimoni｡ and 4KIDS release “Genki Jirushi no Oomori Song / Okashi Tsukutte Okkasuii!”
  - Inaba Atsuko, Maeda Yuki, Matsuura Aya, Morning Musume｡, Country Musume｡, Coconuts Musume｡ and Melon Kinenbi release “Ai no Merry Christmas”
- 20
  - Ichii Sayaka releases “C:BOX”
  - Gomattou releases “SHALL WE LOVE?”
- 13
  - Country Musume｡ releases “BYE BYE Saigo no Yoru”
- 7
  - Heike Michiyo leaves Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Fujimoto Miki releases “Boyfriend”
- 1
  - 4KIDS is formed
    with Sudou Maasa, Sugaya Risako, Suzuki Airi and Hagiwara Mai
October 2002
- 30
  - Rinne leaves Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Rinne retires from show business
  - Morning Musume｡, Tanpopo, Pucchimoni and Minimoni｡ release “CLUB Hello! TRANCE REMIX”
  - Morning Musume｡ releases “Koko ni Iru zee!”
  - Asami becomes leader of Country Musume｡
- 23
  - Melon Kinenbi releases “Kousui”
  - Nakazawa Yuuko, Fujimoto Miki and Gotou Maki release “FS3 Folk Songs 3”
- 2
  - Tanpopo disbands
    with Shibata Ayumi, Ishikawa Rika, Konno Asami and Niigaki Risa
  - Ishikawa Rika steps down as leader of Tanpopo
  - Ishikawa Rika leaves Tanpopo
  - Shibata Ayumi leaves Tanpopo
  - Konno Asami leaves Tanpopo
  - Niigaki Risa leaves Tanpopo
- 1
  - Gomattou is formed
    with Fujimoto Miki, Gotou Maki and Matsuura Aya
  - Miyoshi Chinatsu leaves Hello! Project
    
    H!P
September 2002
- 30
  - Ishikawa Rika becomes leader of Tanpopo
  - Kago Ai leaves Tanpopo
- 26
  - Tanpopo releases “BE HAPPY Koi no Yajirobee”
- 23
  - Gotou Maki leaves Morning Musume｡
- 19
  - Matsuura Aya releases “The Bigaku”
- 11
  - Ichii Sayaka releases “Todoke! Koi no Telepathy”
- 4
  - Tanpopo releases “All of Tanpopo”
  - Inaba Atsuko, Heike Michiyo, Maeda Yuki, Ishii Rika, Matsuura Aya, Morning Musume｡, Country Musume｡, Coconuts Musume｡ and Melon Kinenbi release “The・Douyou Pops 4 Aki no Uta Shuu”
  - Fujimoto Miki releases “Romantic Ukare Mode”
- 1
  - Shibata Ayumi joins Tanpopo
  - Konno Asami joins Tanpopo
  - Niigaki Risa joins Tanpopo
August 2002
- 28
  - Nakazawa Yuuko releases “Toukyou Bijin”
- 21
  - Hello! Project releases “Zenbu! Pucchimoni”
    featuring Pucchimoni
    
    H!P
  - Gotou Maki releases “Yaruki! IT'S EASY”
- 1
  - RuRu releases “single”
July 2002
- 28
  - Happy♡7 disbands
    with Saitou Hitomi, Mika, Asami, Takahashi Ai, Ogawa Makoto, Kago Ai and Niigaki Risa
  - Sexy 8 disbands
    with Heike Michiyo, Ayaka, Ootani Masae, Yaguchi Mari, Satoda Mai, Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi and Gotou Maki
  - Odoru♡11 disbands
    with Ishii Rika, Yasuda Kei, Rinne, Murata Megumi, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Shibata Ayumi, Fujimoto Miki, Matsuura Aya, Konno Asami and Tsuji Nozomi
  - Ishii Rika leaves Hello! Project
    
    H!P
- 24
  - Morning Musume｡ releases “Do it! Now”
- 17
  - Ichii Sayaka releases “Shitsuren LOVE Song”
- 3
  - Happy♡7 releases “Shiawase Beam! Suki Suki Beam!”
  - Sexy 8 releases “Shiawase Desu ka?”
  - Odoru♡11 releases “Shiawase Kyouryuu Ondo”
- 1
  - Ayaka joins Pucchimoni
  - Ogawa Makoto joins Pucchimoni
June 2002
- 30
  - Shimizu Saki joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Tsugunaga Momoko joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Tokunaga Chinami joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Sudou Maasa joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Natsuyaki Miyabi joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Kumai Yurina joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Sugaya Risako joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Ishimura Maiha joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Umeda Erika joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Yajima Maimi joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Nakajima Saki joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Suzuki Airi joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Okai Chisato joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Hagiwara Mai joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Murakami Megumi joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Hello! Project・Kids is formed
    with Umeda Erika, Shimizu Saki, Yajima Maimi, Tsugunaga Momoko, Tokunaga Chinami, Murakami Megumi, Sudou Maasa, Natsuyaki Miyabi, Ishimura Maiha, Kumai Yurina, Nakajima Saki, Sugaya Risako, Suzuki Airi, Okai Chisato and Hagiwara Mai
- 26
  - Minimoni｡ releases “Minimoni｡ Song Daihyakka 1kan”
  - Ishii Rika, Morning Musume｡ and Coconuts Musume｡ release “Morning Musume｡ Single Medley〜Hawaiian〜”
- 25
  - Inaba Atsuko, Maeda Yuki, Ishii Rika, Matsuura Aya, Morning Musume｡, Country Musume｡, Coconuts Musume｡ and Melon Kinenbi release “The・Douyou Pops 3 Natsu no Uta Shuu”
- 19
  - Melon Kinenbi releases “Natsu no Yoru wa Danger!”
- 12
  - Fujimoto Miki releases “Sotto Kuchizukete Gyutto Dakishimete”
- 5
  - Heike Michiyo releases “Murasaki Shikibu”
- 1
  - Happy♡7 is formed
    with Saitou Hitomi, Mika, Asami, Takahashi Ai, Ogawa Makoto, Kago Ai and Niigaki Risa
  - Sexy 8 is formed
    with Heike Michiyo, Ayaka, Ootani Masae, Yaguchi Mari, Satoda Mai, Ishikawa Rika, Yoshizawa Hitomi and Gotou Maki
  - Odoru♡11 is formed
    with Ishii Rika, Yasuda Kei, Rinne, Murata Megumi, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Shibata Ayumi, Fujimoto Miki, Matsuura Aya, Konno Asami and Tsuji Nozomi
May 2002
- 29
  - Matsuura Aya releases “Yeah! Meccha Holiday”
- 22
  - Nakazawa Yuuko, Ishii Rika, Matsuura Aya and Melon Kinenbi release “Folk Songs 2”
- 19
  - Gotou Maki releases “Te wo Nigitte Arukitai”
- 10
  - Funaki Musubu (19) is born
April 2002
- 27
  - Satoda Mai joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Satoda Mai joins Country Girls
- 24
  - Minimoni｡ releases “Aiin Taisou / Aiin! Dance no Uta”
  - Kominato Miwa releases “Ai no Chikara”
  - Ichii Sayaka releases “Jinsei ga Mou Hajimatteru”
- 22
  - Ichii Sayaka becomes a soloist
- 17
  - Country Musume｡ releases “Iroppoi Onna〜SEXY BABY〜”
March 2002
- 27
  - Morning Musume｡ releases “4th 「Ikimasshoi!」”
- 15
  - Fujimoto Miki joins Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Fujimoto Miki becomes a soloist
- 13
  - Fujimoto Miki releases “Aenai Nagai Nichiyoubi”
- 7
  - Haga Akane (19) is born
February 2002
- 28
  - Lehua Sandbo retires from show business
  - Lehua Sandbo leaves Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Lehua Sandbo leaves Coconuts Musume｡
- 21
  - Maeda Yuki releases “Toukyou､ Yoimachigusa｡”
- 20
  - Inaba Atsuko, Heike Michiyo, Ishii Rika, Morning Musume｡, Country Musume｡, Coconuts Musume｡ and Melon Kinenbi release “The・Douyou Pops 2 Haru no Uta Shuu”
  - Morning Musume｡ releases “Sou da! We're ALIVE”
- 17
  - Sannin Matsuri disbands
    with Ishikawa Rika, Matsuura Aya and Kago Ai
  - 7nin Matsuri disbands
    with Heike Michiyo, Ayaka, Yaguchi Mari, Lehua Sandbo, Shibata Ayumi, Asami and Gotou Maki
  - 10nin Matsuri disbands
    with Yasuda Kei, Rinne, Murata Megumi, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Saitou Hitomi, Ootani Masae, Mika, Yoshizawa Hitomi and Tsuji Nozomi
- 14
  - Melon Kinenbi releases “Saa! Koibito ni Narou”
- 10
  - Ozeki Mai (19) is born
- 6
  - Matsuura Aya releases “♡Momoiro Kataomoi♡”
- 1
  - Matsuura Aya releases “First KISS”
January 2002
- 30
  - Sheki-Dol disbands
    with Arai Saki, Kitagami Ami and Suenaga Mami
  - Kitagami Ami leaves Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Suenaga Mami leaves Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Arai Saki leaves Hello! Project
    
    H!P
  - Minimoni｡ releases “Minimoni｡ Hina Matsuri! / Mini｡ Strawberry Pie”
  - Suenaga Mami leaves Sheki-Dol
  - Arai Saki leaves Sheki-Dol