Reina Tanaka
Encyclopedia
is one of the sixth generation members of the J-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...

 group Morning Musume
Morning Musume
, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...

. Her professional first name is spelled in hiragana
Hiragana
is a Japanese syllabary, one basic component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana, kanji, and the Latin alphabet . Hiragana and katakana are both kana systems, in which each character represents one mora...

 to distinguish her from the Japanese actress Rena Tanaka
Rena Tanaka
is a Japanese actress and TV personality. In 1999, she won the Japanese Academy Award for 'Best Newcomer' for her performance in Give It All; in 2001 she received a 'Best Actress' nomination for Hatsukoi.-Selected filmography:* Give It All...

, whose name is spelled using the same kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

 (though with a slightly different reading), who is similarly from Fukuoka Prefecture.

Biography

Tanaka auditioned for a spot in Morning Musume's 5th Generation in 2001 and passed, but had to leave the training camp when it was found that she was underage. She attempted again in 2002 for a position in the 6th Generation and passed along with members Eri Kamei
Eri Kamei
was a member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined in late 2003 as a sixth generation member along with Miki Fujimoto, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka. She graduated on December 15, 2010 in Yokohama Arena along with Junjun and Linlin....

 and Sayumi Michishige
Sayumi Michishige
is a sixth generation member of the J-pop group Morning Musume and has the third longest tenure of any member in the group ....

, making Tanaka the only member who auditioned twice to get in. She provided the main vocals for the single Shabondama
Shabondama
is the nineteenth single of J-pop idol group Morning Musume. It was released July 30, 2003 and sold a total of 151,104 copies. It peaked at number two on the Oricon Charts....

. She was featured in two solo versions of Memory Seishun no Hikari
Memory Seishun no Hikari
is the fourth single from the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on February 10, 1999 as an 8 cm CD. It sold a total of 410,850 copies, and reached number two on the Oricon Charts. In 2004, it was re-released as part of the Early Single Box and again in 2005 as a 12 cm CD. Lead vocals of...

 on a fan club release CD.

In 2003, Tanaka was chosen as a member of new unit Aa!
Aa!
is a Japanese pop group in Hello! Project, formerly made up of leader and Morning Musume member Reina Tanaka, Miyabi Natsuyaki and Airi Suzuki, two Hello! Project Kids...

, along with Miyabi Natsuyaki
Miyabi Natsuyaki
is a Japanese pop singer. Her career began in 2002 when she passed the audition for Hello! Project Kids, an all-female adolescent pop group under Hello! Project...

 and Airi Suzuki
Airi Suzuki
is a Japanese pop singer and currently member of idol groups C-ute, Buono! and Hello! Project Kids. Both of her parents, Tōru and Kyoko Suzuki, are professional golfers, although her mother has already retired.- Career :...

, two Hello! Project Kids
Hello! Project Kids
is a Japanese music group of fifteen young girls chosen out of 27,958 applicants in 2002. The group was formed as a part of the Hello! Project. The group has so far published a number of records under both group names and the Hello! Project Kids title....

. They released one single, "First Kiss
First Kiss
is the first album of the J-pop singer Aya Matsuura, a Hello! Project solo artist, containing her first four singles. It was released on January 1, 2002 and sold 293,540 copies.- Track listing :All lyrics are written by Tsunku.# – 4:28...

", before going on an indefinite hiatus. The group reformed in 2009, only this time without Tanaka, as she was already in the group High-King
High-King
is a Japanese idol group within Hello! Project. The group was created to promote Morning Musume's production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, titled . Their sound is said to have an R&B feel....

. Her place in the group was instead taken by Hello! Pro Egg
Hello! Pro Egg
are a group of female singers under the Hello! Project banner. They are girls chosen when Tsunku and other audition administrators see talent in them that can be developed further, in the hope of one day turning them into successful musicians, and possibly integrating them into other Hello!...

 member Akari Saho
Akari Saho
is a member of Up Up Girls and a former member of Hello! Pro Egg, an idol trainee program under the Hello! Project umbrella. She was also an original member of Shugo Chara Egg!, and played the role of Amulet Spade in the live action segment of the highly acclaimed television series Shugo Chara!...

.

On March 28, 2008, it was announced that Tanaka would be taking on the voice acting
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...

 role of Kirara, a main character in Sanrio
Sanrio
is a Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products focusing on the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories that are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan...

's anime Onegai My Melody Kirara
Onegai My Melody
is an Japanese anime series based on the Sanrio character, My Melody. Produced by Studio Comet, it ran 3 April 2005 to 26 March 2006 on Animax, TV Osaka and TV Tokyo, spanning 52 episodes. A sequel, Onegai My Melody ~Kuru Kuru Shuffle!~, ran 2 April 2006 to 23 March 2007. With its next sequel,...

, the fourth My Melody series. The show premiered on April 6, 2008.

In 2008, Tanaka became the leader of Hello Project's new unit High-King.

It was revealed in late 2009 that Tanaka would be voicing the main/title character of the new anime series, Kaitō Reinya ("Phantom Thief Reinya"). The main character, Reinya, had initially been modeled on Tanaka. The show began airing on January 8, 2010.

Photobooks

# | Title Release date Publisher | ISBN  Photobook information
} || July 15, 2003 || Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...

 || ISBN 4-04-894251-4 || Photobook with Eri Kamei
Eri Kamei
was a member of the Japanese pop group Morning Musume. She joined in late 2003 as a sixth generation member along with Miki Fujimoto, Sayumi Michishige, and Reina Tanaka. She graduated on December 15, 2010 in Yokohama Arena along with Junjun and Linlin....

 and Sayumi Michishige
Sayumi Michishige
is a sixth generation member of the J-pop group Morning Musume and has the third longest tenure of any member in the group ....

.
|-
| 1 || || November 11, 2004 || Wani Books || ISBN 4-8470-2834-1 || First solo photobook.
|-
| 2 || || October 15, 2005 || Wani Books || ISBN 4-8470-2890-2 || Second solo photobook.
|-
| 3 || || May 10, 2006 || Wani Books || ISBN 4-8470-2932-1 || Third solo photobook.
|-
| 4 || || February 1, 2007 || Kadokawa Shoten || ISBN 4-04-894483-5
ISBN 978-4-04-894483-0 || Fourth solo photobook. Photographed in Hawaii.
|-
| 5 || || September 27, 2007 || Wani Books || ISBN 978-4-8470-4041-2 || Fifth Solo photobook.
|-
| – || || February 27, 2008 || Wani Books || ISBN 978-4-8470-4067-2 || Compilation Photobook.
|-
| 6 || || October 25, 2008 || Wani Books || ISBN 978-4-8470-4129-7 || Sixth Solo photobook.
|}

TV shows

All shows listed were broadcast by the TV Tokyo Corporation
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...

, with the exception of Reinya Kaitō, which was aired on ANN
All-Nippon News Network
, or ANN, is a commercial television news network in Japan run by TV Asahi Corporation.-All-Nippon News Network stations:-Remote Controller Buttons of Digital TV:*1: Kyushu Asahi Broadcasting*3: TV Miyazaki*5: 20 ANN stations...

's KBC TV channel.
Show Start date End date
2003 April 1, 2007
September 29, 2003 December 26, 2003
June 1, 2004 June 4, 2004
August 18, 2004 August 26, 2004
May 13, 2005 September 29, 2006
October 2, 2006 March 17, 2008
April 8, 2007 September 28, 2008
April 6, 2008 March 29, 2009
October 6, 2008 March 27, 2009
(Voice) January 8, 2010 March 26, 2010 (ongoing)

Radio

Program Start date End date Station
} || April 18, 2005 || April 29, 2005 ||rowspan="2"| TBC Radio
Tohoku Broadcasting Company
Tohoku Broadcasting Company is a Japanese TV and radio network affiliated with the Japan News Network...


|-
| May 16, 2005 || April 27, 2005
|-
| || June 26, 2005 || September 22, 2008 || ABC Radio
Asahi Broadcasting Corporation
is a regional radio and television broadcaster headquartered in Osaka, Japan, serving in the Kansai region.-Offices:*Headquarters: 1-30, Fukushima Itchome, Fukushima-ku, Osaka-shi, Japan...


|-
| Five Stars || October 3, 2007 || Feb 25, 2010 || InterFM
InterFM
-See also:*The Japan Times* *TV Tokyo...


|}

External links

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