Furthermore, in the past few years, it has become even more common for members of Hello! Project's groups to provide the backing vocals for their songs themselves. Recent years have also seen Hello! Project moving in a new direction musically, with prominent elements of dubstep and electro being incorporated into much of their recorded output, resulting in songs which seem at times to be almost experimental in style, at least by idol music standards. Tsunku is also involved in . As a result of the Japanese earthquake 2011, Tsunku wrote a song titled "Love is here ~Kibou no Hikari~", dedicated to the victims. Tsunku is one of the many Japanese celebrities who have stepped up to support the victims and their loved ones. In March 2014, Tsunku announced on his blog that he had laryngeal cancer, which he found out after having throat surgery due to an unspecified condition. He also stated that he has been seeking treatment for it. On April 4, 2015, Tsunku revealed that he had his vocal cords removed as part of his cancer treatment. In his memoir, "Dakara, Ikiru", which was published in September 2015, it was revealed that he stepped down as Hello! Project's General Manager sometime after Morning Musume's New York concert that happened on October 5, 2014. He still remains involved with Morning Musume as its Sound Producer. On May 4, 2020, Tsunku was among the 121 members of Up-Front Group to participate in a YouTube telework to support the frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.