Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s search for a girlfriend to join him on a voyage around the moon will be the subject of a new documentary programme, in the latest attention-grabbing stunt by the entrepreneur.

“As feelings of loneliness and emptiness slowly begin to surge upon me, there’s one thing that I think about: continuing to love one woman,” wrote Maezawa on a website for applicants.

“I want to find a ‘life partner’. With that future partner of mine, I want to shout our love and world peace from outer space,” continued Maezawa, who is due to fly around the moon in 2023 as the first private passenger with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

Maezawa, who recently split up from actress girlfriend Ayame Goriki, 27, has said he plans to take artists on the flight to inspire works based on the experience, in a project he dubbed Dear Moon.