Japanese Billionaire Cancels Public Search for Girlfriend to Fly Into Space

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.

‘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.

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.

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. 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.