MANY’S a suitor might offer you the world.
But a Japanese billionaire is going one better, promising the moon on a stick for the woman of his dreams.
Yusaku Maezawa is eschewing dating apps and singles bars and has instead advertised for a “female partner” to join him on a free trip to the moon.
The businessman, known for his lavish art collecting, his online clothing company and for being the first paying tourist signed up for Elon Musk’s SpaceX moon shot, stopped accepting applications from around the world last week when the number of aspiring companions hit an astronomical 27,722.
The wannabe lunar lovers had to complete a “love diagnostic test”.
Multiple-choice questions probed what they were good at cooking, what they’d change about his appearance and how motivated they were by his money.
READ MORE: Why the 2020s is set to be the Decade of Space
While it may seem an offensive line of questioning to some, it has drawn very little backlash in Japan. Maezawa’s story has actually received more attention from outside the country than from the Japanese.
Last year Maezawa sold a 30% stake in his e-retail company Zozo to Softbank for $2.7 billion and resigned as CEO, in part he said because he will need to train for the SpaceX flight. Bloomberg estimates his current net worth to be around $3.6 billion.
The 44-year-old, who recently split up with the model and actor Ayame Goriki, wrote on his website: “I’m sure I’ve been able to acquire my share of money, social status and fame along the way.
“But now I’m restarting my life. I’m 44 now. As feelings of loneliness and emptiness slowly begin to surge upon me, there’s one thing that I think about: continuing to love one woman. I want to find a ‘life partner’. With that future partner of mine, I want to shout our love and world peace from outer space.”
In order to pick his moon partner, a marathon of test dates is scheduled for the next two months, until finally Ms Right – who must be single, at least 20 years old and committed to world peace – is selected at the end of March.
The actual space date on the Big Falcon Rocket is set for 2023, so at least that gives the lucky space
cadet a chance to get to know her new benefactor/boyfriend. You don’t really want to be going to the moon with a complete stranger. After all, in space, no-one can hear you scream.
Of course, the world will be watching, since no high-profile romantic encounter would be complete without being fully documented in tedious detail for
the benefit and scrutiny of an eager TV audience. Maezawa’s space mission will be broadcast by online streaming service AbemaTV, which has dubbed the story Full Moon Lovers.
But how interesting is such footage going to be? Will they just be floating about and gazing into each other’s eyes, talking about cooking, his looks, how she’s not interested in his money and world peace? I hardly think the earth will move. Then again, it might turn out to be a total eclipse of the heart.
Watch this space …
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