---
title: "Japanese Billionaire Giving Out $9 Million in Basic Income Trial"
description: "In September 2018, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa made a “significant deposit” toward a ticket to the Moon aboard a SpaceX rocket. By May 2019, the fashion tycoon was claiming that he was broke. And now, he apparently has so much money that he can give away $9 million to his Twitter followers […]"
date: "2020-01-08"
modified: "2020-01-08"
authors:
  - name: "Kristin Houser"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/kristin"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/japanese-billionaire-maezawa-giving-out-9-million-basic-income"
categories:
  - "Finance"
  - "Future Society"
  - "Universal Basic Income"
tags:
  - "basic income"
  - "Japan"
  - "the digest"
  - "yusaku maezawa"
---

# Japanese Billionaire Giving Out $9 Million in Basic Income Trial

![Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa is testing the theory that a basic income could increase happiness — by giving away $9 million to his Twitter followers.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/japanese-billionaire-maezawa-giving-away-millions.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Back on Top

In September 2018, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa made a "[significant deposit](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-moon-bfr-passenger>)" toward a ticket to the Moon aboard a SpaceX rocket. By May 2019, the fashion tycoon was [claiming](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-first-moon-passenger-broke>) that he was broke.

And now, he apparently has so much money that he can [give away $9 million](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-billionaire-maezawa/japanese-billionaire-maezawa-in-9-million-social-experiment-giveaway-idUSKBN1Z70YR>) to his Twitter followers — all so he can test the theory that a basic income could increase recipients' happiness.

## Retweet to Enter

On January 1, Maezawa first [tweeted](<https://twitter.com/yousuck2020/status/1212243198069751808>) about the experiment. Now he plans to give 1,000 people who retweet that post each receive 1 million yen ($9,000), according to a *Reuters* [report](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-billionaire-maezawa/japanese-billionaire-maezawa-in-9-million-social-experiment-giveaway-idUSKBN1Z70YR>).

*Reuters* doesn't say exactly when those payouts will take place, but it does note that the recipients will be tasked with completing follow-up surveys designed to explore how the money impacts their lives.

## Easy Money

In February 2019, the Finnish government [revealed](<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/09/world/europe/finland-basic-income.html>) that a two-year-long basic income experiment did appear to increase recipients' happiness. However, Toshihiro Nagahama, a senior economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute, doubts that Maezawa's experiment will have the same impact.

"Basic means a regular minimum amount offering a sense of security," he told *Reuters*. "\[W\]hat Maezawa is offering is totally different."

Still, it's hard to imagine any downsides to Maesawa's giveaway — and it might even spur Japan to consider exploring the potential benefits of basic income through a longer-term trial.

**READ MORE:** [Japanese billionaire Maezawa in $9 million 'social experiment' giveaway](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan-billionaire-maezawa/japanese-billionaire-maezawa-in-9-million-social-experiment-giveaway-idUSKBN1Z70YR>) \[*Reuters*\]

**More on Maezawa:** *[The Guy Who Bought a SpaceX Ticket to the Moon Is Broke](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/spacex-first-moon-passenger-broke>)*

### Author social links  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinjhouser>)