Japanese billionaire CANCELS public search for a girlfriend to fly into SPACE with him after 27,722 women applied, saying he felt ‘remorseful’ they had used up ‘their precious time’
- Yusaku Maezawa, 44, earlier this month announced his search for a girlfriend
- But today he said he was scrapping the romantic lunar trip for ‘personal reasons’
- ‘To think that 27,722 women, with earnest intentions and courage, had used their precious time to apply makes me feel extremely remorseful,’ he added
A Japanese billionaire has cancelled his public search for a girlfriend to fly into space after 27,722 hopeful women applied.
Yusaku Maezawa, 44, had been looking for a girlfriend to join him on a trip around the Moon in 2023 or later, as the first private passenger on a voyage offered by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
His search for a soulmate was due to be turned into a TV show for a web-streaming service but today he dashed the hopes of thousands for ‘personal reasons.’
‘Despite my genuine and honest determination toward the show, there was a part of me that still had mixed feelings about my participation,’ Maezawa wrote in English on Twitter.
Yusaku Maezawa, 44, had been looking for a girlfriend to join him when he heads on a trip around the Moon in 2023 or later, as the first private passenger on a voyage offered by Elon Musk’s SpaceX
‘To think that 27,722 women, with earnest intentions and courage, had used their precious time to apply makes me feel extremely remorseful,’ he added.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, earlier this month
Maezawa, formerly chief of the online fashion company Zozo, is known for his penchant for publicity stunts – including offering cash to people on Twitter.
Earlier this month he announced he would give one million yen (£6,991) to 1,000 followers selected at random from those who retweeted a post from New Year’s Day, with the impact of the money to be tracked through regular surveys.
‘It’s a serious social experiment,’ said Maezawa on YouTube, adding he hopes to attract interest from academics and economists.
Its the second, larger, giveaway by the entrepreneur, who in November secured a £688,863,420-payday through the sale of his Zozo Inc to SoftBank Group Corp.
Maezawa, formerly chief of the online fashion company Zozo, is known for his penchant for publicity stunts – including offering cash to people on Twitter (pictured with Elon Musk)
Last January he promised 100million yen to be shared among 100 Twitter users. And he broke a world record in the process when that tweet was the most retweeted ever, with 4.68million retweets.
Maezawa, who recently grabbed headlines after his split from actress girlfriend Ayame Goriki, has gathered almost seven million followers on Twitter with his mix of displays of conspicuous consumption and folksy pronouncements on the meaning of life.
YouTube is the latest online outlet for the businessman, with videos including a tour of his private jet, a visit to the barber to dye his hair and updating his bank book after November’s windfall.
Last January he promised 100million yen to be shared among 100 Twitter users. Pictured with David Beckham in Paris in 2018
The debate over basic income comes as income inequality continues to grow in the United States, where in recent years some of its wealthiest entrepreneurs, from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates to investor Warren Buffett, have pledged to give away most of their wealth.
Maezawa is worth an estimated £1.5billion, according to Forbes, and has made a name for himself as an eclectic billionaire.
In 2017 he spent £85million on a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting – the highest price ever paid at auction for a work by an American artist.