record_label happy birthday 
`` Happy Birthday '' is the tenth single of the Japanese boy group NEWS . It was released on October 1 , 2008 , in two editions ; a regular edition which contains two b - sides : Gan Gan Ganbatte and Push On ! , and a limited edition which also contains Happy Birthday and its b - side Gan Gan Ganbatte from the regular edition , as well as another b - side entitled Game of Love and an instrumental version of Happy Birthday . Happy Birthday is NEWS tenth consecutive number - one single since their debut in 2004 . This single makes them the second group to have this distinction ( the other being KinKi Kids , who currently has twenty - seven consecutive number - one singles ) . History . 1991  ___MASK45___ : Pre - debut activities . The duo first met each other during a Hikaru Genji concert at Yokohama Arena on May 5 , 1991 . From then on , the two began to appear together in magazine photoshoots together though they did not have a formal name , going through several temporary names such as , and , before being introduced as by the end of 1992 when they were backup dancers for SMAP . On the first episode of SMAP ' s variety show , which began on April 4 , 1993 , SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai decided that the name was to be " KinKi Kids " when the two joined the show as regulars . Months later , Koichi and Tsuyoshi both appeared in their first drama together called , which had a peak rating of 28 . 9 % on its final episode . On December 31 , 1994 , KinKi Kids held their first concert at the Budokan . SMAP was a Japanese boy band , composed of Masahiro Nakai , Takuya Kimura , Goro Inagaki , Tsuyoshi Kusanagi , and Shingo Katori . The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa , founder of ___MASK12___ , originally as a six - piece with Katsuyuki Mori , until his departure from the band in 1996 . After making their debut in 1991 , the group took the Japanese entertainment industry by storm , becoming the most successful boy band in Japanese history and the best selling band in Asia , often referred to as a " national treasure " and a " fortune and property of the country " in Japan .