Introducing a complete stranger to his friends or family, especially at formal functions or large receptions, is a surprising but common practice in Japan and South Korea. Shoji Morimoto, a 38-year-old Japanese man, took the idea a step further by offering his services … do nothing.

Just a presence

Clearly, people are calling him to be on their side, that’s all. He does not need to talk, he is happy to attend for 10,000 yen or 73 euros, reports The Independent.

For example, a customer asked to wait for him at the finish of a marathon to see a familiar face in the crowd after his run. Unable to bear working alone, another asked her to sit with him as he completed his thesis. He has gone to a consultation for hemorrhoid surgery or to sign divorce papers.

This lifestyle is well suited for a 30-year-old who does not talk or express much even when he is not working.

Shoji Morimoto entered the business after being criticized for not doing enough or doing anything in his previous career. “I decided to take advantage of it and make a business out of it,” he explains.

Stranger than relative

Shoji Morimoto found that his clients did not want to impose their needs on the people they cared about. He then gives them the emotional support they need, but does not dare ask their loved ones. “They want to approach a foreigner without strings attached,” he sums up.

“When interacting with friends and other people, there are always unknown factors, but by bringing in a stranger, it is much easier to know what to expect and to control the situation,” Professor Yasushi Fuji explains. Psychology at Maisie University in Tokyo.

After more than 4,000 clients, Shoji Moremoto believes that his client’s success is due to his lack of judgment and sympathy.

In any case, its success is enviable: its work is the subject of three books, and has even been adapted into a television series.