Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who will travel to the International Space Station as a tourist in December aboard a Russian spacecraft, is a former wannabe rock star worth $1.9 billion with a penchant for pricey modern art as well as space travel.
The 45-year-old tycoon, founder of Japan’s largest online fashion mall, is the country’s 30th richest person, according to business magazine Forbes.
It will be the first time the Russian space agency Roscosmos has taken a tourist to the ISS since 2009.
He is known for his luxury living — including private jets, yachts and designer watches, but also his beloved art.
He made his fortune as the founder of online fashion store Zozo, which he sold to Yahoo! Japan in 2019.
Maezawa hit the headlines in 2018 when he was announced as the first man to book a spot aboard a lunar spaceship being developed by SpaceX, the Roscosmos rival of American billionaire Elon Musk.
He placed an online ad calling for a girlfriend to join him on the 2023 flight — only to abruptly cancel the hunt, despite attracting nearly 30,000 applicants.
His love of art became a focus in 2017 when he bought a Jean-Michel Basquiat masterpiece worth $110.5 million.
But he has also often featured in the tabloid glossies for his celebrity love life.
He used to date the ex-wife of professional baseball player Yu Darvish as well as Japanese actress Ayame Goriki.
