Young bodybuilders lift Japan's ailing care sector

Muscles bulging, bodybuilder Takuya Usui settles a woman into her wheelchair at a Japanese care home, where jacked Gen Zers are helping to ease labour shortages in a struggling industry.

Gender stereotypes and poor pay have long discouraged Japanese young men from becoming caregivers, even as demand surges in a country with one of the world's oldest populations.

But Visionary, a firm based in the central city of Nagoya, has hit upon an unusual solution: luring male bodybuilders into the care sector with perks including paid gym time and subsidies for protein shakes.

"I used to find nothing appealing about this industry," Usui, a former fitness trainer, told AFP.

But then, "I was told I can actually put my muscles to use in this job, and I thought: 'Well, let's give it a try.'"

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