Yusaku Maezawa

Fraudulent advertisements using Maezawa's name and likeness without permission to lure victims into investment scams proliferated on Facebook and Instagram. After repeated removal requests, Maezawa sued Meta and Facebook Japan, symbolically seeking one yen and, above all, clarification of their responsibilities and removal measures.

Legal status — source text

Civil lawsuit against Meta; Maezawa is the claimant and victim, not an accused person

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

The announcement of auditions for "round girls" at the Maezawa Cup 2026 golf tournament prompted mockery and criticism accusing him of staging another exercise to "gather young women". Maezawa responded angrily to a social media user who suggested that he was doing so because he had no family.

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

With KABU&, Maezawa launched a model under which using everyday services earns rights to shares in his company, with the stated ambition of making all citizens shareholders. The model prompted questions about its economic benefit to consumers and criticism describing it as a "business for believers" or a "business for the gullible". In 2025, the company announced that it was considering legal action over certain publications it considered defamatory.

In 2025, it emerged that tax authorities had identified approximately 400 million yen in insufficiently declared income over four financial years at Goonies, Maezawa's asset-management company. The dispute concerned bond interest routed through another company and benefiting women identified as the mothers of his children. The tax authorities treated the expense as akin to a gift and a mechanism improperly reducing the tax burden.

State of the evidence

Tokyo tax bureau reportedly disallowed deductions; amended return

Attribution

Asset-management company tax compliance; Maezawa apologised

In 2024, Maezawa cancelled dearMoon, a project announced in 2018 to take several artists around the Moon free of charge. The original 2023 deadline had passed, and no credible Starship launch date could be set.

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Project promoter and financier; launch delay largely dependent on SpaceX

Tokyo tax authorities identified approximately 500 million yen in undeclared income at his asset-management company, notably involving private use of a jet, and approximately 99 million yen personally, linked in particular to art transactions. Maezawa filed amended returns.

State of the evidence

Documented Tokyo tax bureau findings and amended returns

Maezawa launched a public programme with AbemaTV to select a partner who might accompany him on his planned lunar trip. More than 27,000 women applied before he abruptly cancelled the project, citing conflicting personal feelings.

State of the evidence

Television project and cancellation documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

ZOZOSUIT was intended to allow Zozo to revolutionise made-to-measure fashion. Distribution delays, disappointing adoption and service difficulties led the company to abandon the device and sharply reduce its profit forecast and dividend. Meanwhile, several brands left Zozotown over disagreements about discounts.

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Direct CEO strategy

Maezawa promised to distribute one million yen to 100 people chosen at random from users who followed him and retweeted his message. The tweet broke the world retweet record and his follower count surged, while critics accused him of buying followers.

Legal status — source text

Twitter Japan said the campaign did not violate its terms