In 2005 Takafumi Horie, then president of Livedoor, an internet firm, joined the x prize Foundation, a charity which gives cash for innovative projects such as space tourism. Joining forces with the likes of Larry Page and Elon Musk, co-founders of Google and PayPal respectively, was a typically bold move by the self-styled boy billionaire from Fukuoka. Instead of going into orbit, however, Mr Horie went behind bars. He was arrested in Japan's biggest financial scandal of the decade. Now, however, he is out on parole, and says he will soon launch a low-cost space-tourism business using a Russian capsule. He has completed several test launches. A large Japanese firm is on the verge of sponsoring a flight next year, he says. Other investors, he claims, are standing by.
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