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Thursday, March 14, 2024

20k wannabe girlfriends willing to go to the moon with Japanese Billionaire

Apparently, the dating game is hard if you are a Japanese billionaire. Yusaku Maezawa searches for a mate to accompany him on a ride encircling the moon on Elon Musk's SpaceX. 20,000 girls have applied and so far, no one has made the cut.

More than 20,000 women have applied to become Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s girlfriend, according to streaming service AbemaTV. Maezawa will take the successful candidate to the moon. Literally.

The streaming service is working on a documentary to showcase the billionaire’s quest to find a “life partner”.

Maezawa, one of the biggest Japanese celebrities owing to his fortune and antics, will be the first private passenger on Elon Musk’s SpaceX. He has plenty of options to choose from as the number of entrants who want to be his girlfriend has crossed 20,000.

The show’s application site now includes a “love diagnostic test” where potential entrants can test their compatibility with the entrepreneur, who sold his online fashion business Zozo Inc to SoftBank Group Corp last year.

Securing Maezawa for “Full Moon Lovers” is a coup for the service, which aims to generate social media traffic and is targeting younger viewers who are turning off TV

Multiple-choice questions include “If you rode in a private jet where would you go?” and “If Maezawa farted in front of you what would you say?”, with users presented with a photo of the billionaire varying from happy to sad depending on their score.

AbemaTV, backed by online ad agency CyberAgent and broadcaster TV Asahi, is one of Japan’s foremost proponents of the reality dating show.

Securing Maezawa for “Full Moon Lovers” is a coup for the service, which aims to generate social media traffic and is targeting younger viewers who are turning off TV.

Current and upcoming AbemaTV shows include one in which Japanese-speaking female contestants are paired with foreign men who don’t speak their language and another in which women go on dates with “princes” several years their junior.

Japanese broadcasters have been slow to offer streaming even as ad spending shifts online, worried about upsetting their regional TV networks by offering nationwide streaming services.

Read more: Japanese billionaire businessman revealed as SpaceX’s first Moon traveler

Public broadcaster NHK, which had been legally constrained from offering such services, will begin streaming in April following rule changes last year.

The reality dating format got a boost in Japan with the success of hit show Terrace House, which was developed by broadcaster Fuji Holdings before being picked up by Netflix, building an international fan base through its relaxed tone and mild-mannered contestants.