2011–2012: Formation and early chart success In 2011,
Sony Music Entertainment Japan announced its plan to co-produce a new idol group with AKB48 producer
Yasushi Akimoto after AKB48, which was signed to Sony's
Defstar Records label from 2006 to 2008, became a hit and was considered a "missed opportunity" by Sony. The formation of Nogizaka46 was first announced on June 29, when it became the first group to be labelled as the "official rival" to the group
AKB48, rather than a sister group like
NMB48 or
SKE48. The group was named after the location of the
Sony Music Japan offices near
Nogizaka Station. Producer Yasushi Akimoto said that the number "46" was chosen as a direct challenge to AKB48, implying that Nogizaka46 would succeed with fewer members. In contrast to AKB48 and its sister groups, the image of Nogizaka46 is based on the Japanese people's perception of conservatively-dressed private all-girls high school students in France, which carries the connotations of elegance and refinement. Overall, 38,934 people applied to join Nogizaka46. Final auditions for the group were held from August 20–21, 2011, with 56 finalists competing for 36 available places, and 16 of them were selected as "senbatsu" ("selection") members for performances and media appearances. Many of the founding members have prior experience in the entertainment industry. On October 2, 2011, the group launched its first television variety show, titled and hosted by the comedy duo
Bananaman. On February 22, 2012, Nogizaka46 released their debut single "
Guruguru Curtain". It ranked second on the
Oricon chart and sold 136,309 copies in the first week. Their second single, "
Oide Shampoo", was released on May 2 of the same year, and became their first number one song on the Oricon weekly chart, with sales of 156,000 copies. The choreography for "Oide Shampoo" caused a brief controversy, as critics disapproved of the members lifting their skirts over their faces during one part of the performance. In June 2012, Nogizaka46 took part in Yubi Matsuri, an idol festival produced by
Rino Sashihara, performing before 8,000 people at
Nippon Budokan. They debuted their first musical theater production, titled
16 nin no Principal, at Shibuya Parco Theater in September 2012. By the end of 2012, Nogizaka46 reached number one on the Oricon yearly chart in the newcomers sales category, with annual sales of
¥870 million.
2013–2015: Second generation and national exposure Nogizaka46 held their first anniversary concert at
Makuhari Messe in
Chiba in February 2013, performing for 9,000 fans. From December 2012 to April 2013, an audition for the second generation of Nogizaka46 members was held, with 14 new members chosen out of 16,302 applicants. Thirteen of these new members were introduced at the musical theater performance of
16 nin no Principal deux, the sequel to the 2012 musical, in May 2013. The group also launched their first radio program, titled , and released their first photobook, titled
Nogizaka Ha. The photobook, released in October, ranked fourth on the Oricon weekly book ranking with 27,000 copies sold. In February 2014, Nogizaka46 held their second birthday concert for 13,000 fans at
Yokohama Arena. During the show, the group announced that their musical
16 nin no Principal trois would open at Akasaka ACT Theater on May 30 and run until June 15. The group also released the DVD and Blu-ray versions of their first birthday concert, which reached number one on the Oricon weekly DVD chart, selling 12,000 copies in the first week. On February 24, 2014, at an AKB48 group event, it was announced that
Rina Ikoma would join AKB48's Team B, and that
Rena Matsui from SKE48's Team E would hold a concurrent position with Nogizaka46. On July 5, 2014, the group performed overseas for the first time, as part of a slate of Japanese performers at the
Japan Expo 2014 in
Paris. On January 7, 2015, Nogizaka46 released their first album
Tōmei na Iro, selling over 220,000 copies in the first week. The album reached number one on the Oricon weekly albums chart. The following month, the group held their third birthday concert, this time in front of 38,000 people at
Seibu Dome in
Saitama. Rina Ikoma returned to Nogizaka46, with Rena Matsui returning to SKE48. The group also launched a new television variety show, , to replace
Nogizakatte, Doko? Their first television drama,
Hatsumori Bemars, premiered on
the TX network in July. Nogizaka46 concluded the year by appearing for the first time on the
NHK nationally broadcast New Year program
Kōhaku Uta Gassen, where they performed their fifth single, titled "
Kimi no Na wa Kibō".
2016–2017: Third generation and Japan Record Award From February 20 through February 22, 2016, Nogizaka46 broadcast an Internet TV program titled
Nogizaka46 4th Anniversary Nogizaka 46 hours TV, in which the members produced and performed their own material for forty-six consecutive hours, on six websites simultaneously. In the week following the performance, the group's twelfth single "
Taiyō Nokku" was selected for the 30th
Japan Gold Disc Award. On May 25, 2016, they released their second album
Sorezore no Isu, which reached number one on the Oricon weekly albums chart. The group promoted the second album with a second broadcast of
Nogizaka 46 hours TV. On August 5, they released their second photobook, titled
1 Jikan Okure no I Love You, which sold 41,000 copies in the first week and ranked 1st on Oricon weekly book ranking. The final stage of the audition involved an appeal by 13 finalists to internet audiences using the
Showroom streaming service. Twelve candidates passed the final screening. The group's fourth birthday concert was held during the last three days of their summer tour, instead of earlier in the year, due to booking issues caused by
2020 Summer Olympics construction. In November 2016, Nogizaka46 released the 16th single "
Sayonara no Imi". It reached number one on the Oricon weekly single chart, selling 827,717 copies in the first week. "Sayonara no Imi" became the group's first Million single certified by
RIAJ. Nogizaka46 ended the year with their second appearance on NHK
Kōhaku Uta Gassen. In February 2017, Nogizaka46 performed their fifth annual birthday concert over 3 days at
Saitama Super Arena. Nogizaka46's first feature film, a live-action adaptation of the manga
Asahinagu starring
Nanase Nishino in the lead role, opened in cinemas across Japan in September 2017. The theme song for the movie, "
Itsuka Dekiru kara Kyō Dekiru", was released as their 19th single. The group's 2017 national tour held performances in Tokyo, Sendai, Osaka, Nagoya, and Niigata, and concluded on November 7 and 8 at Tokyo Dome, where they drew in over 55,000 fans each day. Three weeks later they performed overseas for the second time, with a selection of group members performing live at C3AFA Singapore. The group ended the year by winning the grand prize at the 59th Japan Record Awards for their seventeenth single, titled "
Influencer", and by making their third consecutive appearance on NHK's
Kōhaku Uta Gassen.
2018–2021: Departures, fourth generation, and overseas expansion From July 6 to September 2, 2018, the group held a national tour, starting with their birthday concert from July 6 to 8. On December 1, the group held their first standalone overseas concert at the
Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai. At the 60th
Japan Record Awards, Nogizaka46 won the main Japan Record Award for their 20th single "
Synchronicity", marking their second consecutive Japan Record Award win. In January 2019, Nogizaka46 visited Taiwan, where they performed at the
KKBox Music Awards and held a concert at
Taipei Arena. The group returned to Shanghai in October 2019, and returned to Taipei in January 2020. A series of first generation member graduations started in 2018, when Rina Ikoma, who had centered six of the group's singles, graduated from the group in April. The final day of the 7th Birthday Live in February 2019 was a graduation concert for first generation member Nanase Nishino, who had centered or co-centered seven singles. In March 2019,
Misa Etō held a solo concert as her final public appearance with the group. Nogizaka46's first captain,
Reika Sakurai, graduated from the group on the final day of the 2019 national summer tour, and was succeeded as captain by
Manatsu Akimoto. On January 7, 2020,
Mai Shiraishi announced her plans to leave the group after the release of its twenty-fifth single. On April 28, via her official blog, Mai Shiraishi announced that, due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, her graduation would be delayed until it is safe to hold a graduation concert. In the summer of 2018, a joint audition was held with Keyakizaka46 and Hinatazaka46. After the auditions, 39 members were accepted with 11 being assigned to Nogizaka46, forming the group's fourth generation. On February 16, 2020, five
Sakamichi Series trainees were assigned to Nogizaka46 as fourth generation members. On July 19, 2021, the group announced an audition for the group's fifth generation with applications starting that day and screening taking place on August 10. The new generation of members were planned to be unveiled in December 2021. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the group, Nogizaka46 released the
greatest hits album on December 15, 2021, titled
Time Flies.
2022–present: Fifth generation and tenth anniversary From February 2 to February 9, Nogizaka46 unveiled eight of the eleven new fifth generation members, with the remaining three to be unveiled in March due to academic reason. The group held their bi-annual 46-hour live on February 21–23 to commemorate their tenth anniversary. Their twenty-ninth single "
Actually..." was released on March 23, with fifth generation member Aruno Nakanishi serving as the center (lead performer). and the center position was jointly taken over by Asuka Saitō and Mizuki Yamashita. Two of the three remaining fifth generation members were revealed on March 19 and April 1, while the last one, Hina Okamoto, was also put on hiatus for a contract breach. Both Nakanishi and Okamoto returned from their hiatus in mid-April. The group held their 10th Year Birthday Live at
Nissan Stadium on May 14–15, 2022. During the 11th Year Birthday Live held at
Yokohama Arena on February 22, 2023, it was announced that vice-captain
Minami Umezawa would succeed Manatsu Akimoto as captain of the group, as Akimoto would leave the group on February 26 of that year. == Members ==