PRESS CONFERENCE
Next Steps in Space Travel
Yusaku Maezawa, CEO of Start Today
11:00-12:00, January 7, Friday 2022
(The speech and Q & A will be in Japanese with simultaneous interpretation)
While many on Planet Earth spent much of 2021 avoiding any kind of travel, for a handful of billionaires, it became the year of breaking the final frontier and visiting space. Hot on the heels of Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos, Japanese online fashion mogul turned art collector Yusaku Maezawa spent 12 days in space in December. The trip was, he said, a practice run for a planned trip around the moon with Elon Musk in 2023.
ZOZOTOWN founder Maezawa was the first space tourist to travel to the International Space Station in more than a decade. But he's no stranger to publicity, in particular for the record-breaking prices he has paid for works of art. While aboard the vessel, he used a series of YouTube videos to explain the nitty gritty of life on the ISS, including how to make tea, sleep and use the bathroom. He also made a call to chat with his mentor, SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son.
After returning to earth, Maezawa told his millions of Twitter followers that the world's leaders should hold an international conference in space, saying the experience would make them appreciate the planet below and the need for world peace. This will be the flamboyant 46-year-old's first press conference since he returned to Japan from his landing point in Kazakhstan and went into quarantine. Come and join us for a discussion of his trip, and what comes next in space travel.
How to attend:
Please register at front@fccj.or.jp with your name, the name of your media outlet, and FCCJ membership number. Due to space restrictions attendance will be limited. Doors open 30 minutes before the event. Please sign in, giving your name and contact details at the reception, and have your temperature taken before proceeding.
How to watch online: https://www.youtube.com/c/FCCJchannel/live
Livestreaming of the press events will be available and video of this event will be uploaded to our FCCJ YouTube channel.
How to ask questions: https://forms.gle/iWsFYT4JjEmYNkzs5
Members watching the event online can submit questions for the speakers in advance using this submission form.
TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 45 minutes before the event.
Professional Activities Committee