Japanese billionaire Maezawa in hospital after racing accident

Japanese billionaire and entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa was hospitalized on Sunday following a racing accident in northeastern Japan, sources close to the incident said.

The founder of major online fashion retailer Zozo Inc., Maezawa, 48, has undergone thorough examinations and is not in danger of dying, the sources said.

Yusaku Maezawa. (Kyo-do)

He had written on his X-account that he intended to “reach the finish line” at the Ferrari Challenge Japan race at the Sportsland Sugo motorsport facility in Murata, Miyagi Prefecture.

Another person is said to have been hospitalized in connection with the accident.

Maezawa recently made headlines with the announcement that he had decided to cancel his private space trip to orbit the moon.

He had already tried to realize the flight with other crew members, including US DJ Steve Aoki, at the end of last year, but the plan had “become unfeasible,” according to a statement on the “dearMoon” project website on June 1.

Photo taken on the afternoon of June 9, 2024 shows the Sportsland Sugo race track in Murata, a city in northeastern Japan’s Miyagi Prefecture. (Kyodo)

In 2021, Maezawa became the first Japanese civilian to travel to the International Space Station.

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