Need some 'motherly warmth'? In Japan, you can hire a grandma for as little as $60
Taeko Kaji started working as a grandmother-for-hire after her dog died. (Supplied: Client Partners)
As a grandmother-for-hire, 69-year-old Taeko Kaji performs a variety of tasks — from cleaning to cooking to giving life advice.
"I never get bored," the Tokyo resident told the ABC.
"I get to go out and have these experiences and that's why taking this job was the right decision for me."
Japan is experiencing what some have called a "loneliness epidemic".
Grandmother-for-hire services allow people to experience what it is like to have an older woman care for them in a maternal way, for as little as $60 a visit.
They also provide a work opportunity in a society that usually does not value the skills and experience of older women.
Ms Kaji said she wanted to find a job to keep her busy after her dog died.
The only option she could find for a woman at her age was to be a cleaner.
That was until her daughter came across a company that hired older women to play the role of grandmother for strangers.
Besides working as grandmothers-for-hire, Client Partner's older staff also provide care and emotional support to people their own age. (Supplied: Client Partners)
Ms Kaji is employed by Client Partners, a "women-only handyman" company that is run by women and employs only women.
Client Partners started the OK!Obaachan (OK!Grandmother) service in 2011, hoping to tackle problems that women were suited for.
"There were so many male handymen, and we knew that the market was saturated," chief executive Ruri Kanazawa told the ABC.
"Just adding the word 'female' [to the business] really opened up the market."
Of the company's approximately 300-400 staff, about 80 are over the age of 60.
Not just grandmothers
Client Partners currently employs approximately 300-400 staff members, with about 80 of them over the age of 60. (Supplied: Client Partners)
Other services the company offers include interpreters and tourist guides, or even renting a friend or an aunt.
They say they get a wide range of customers, from men and women in their 20s to people in their 70s.
Ms Kaji said one client, who was about the same age as her, hired her to pack their expensive tableware.
Kaori Okano says Client Partners provides opportunities that are valuable for some older women. (Supplied: Kaori Okano)
Ms Kanazawa said the emotional support they provided was what made their company stand out from other "handyman companies".
She said many of their clients sought their services because it could be hard for them to "ask for help even for things that could be solved between relatives or family members".
"Some people may be abused, and some people may never have had a mother in the first place," she said.
"Our grandmother staff members, who cook for the guests and act like a mother to them, help provide the motherly warmth they need."
Kaori Okano, a professor of Asian Studies and Japanese at La Trobe University, studies gender relations in Japan.
She said the company provided valuable opportunities for some older women.
"These organisations value 'housewife' skills," said Professor Okano.
"It gives a sense of self-fulfilment to these women who were previously unemployed that they can be useful and valued by other people."
Older women left behind
Ruri Kanazawa says Client Partners founder Maki Abe saw "a gaping hole that no one else was doing which was mental support" . (Supplied: Client Partners)
In Japan, retirees can receive income from employee pension schemes, similar to superannuation in Australia, and the national basic pension scheme.
To be eligible for the pension, they need to have contributed to it through work, or their husband must have made contributions to their own employee pension scheme.
Professor Okano said this meant some women might get less pension if they were not married or if they did not have regular income.
"The dominant trend two decades ago was that women would quit their jobs and stay at home after they got married and had kids," she said.
"And once their kids start school, they re-enter the workforce in casual or contract roles, also known as non-regular work."
While Japanese mothers have been able to participate more fully in the workforce thanks to improved maternity leave and childcare, there is still a gender gap.
Japan's 2024 Labour Force Survey found that the number of women with regular employment still peaked at 25-34 years old.
Eriko Teramura, who is the professor of human resource management and labour economics at Japan's Meikai University, said she expected the number of older women in the workforce to increase.
"Older women often have long periods of unemployment or part-time work, limiting their accumulation of work skills," Professor Teramura told the ABC.
"It's unlikely that many older women can survive on their own pensions alone."
Japan's ageing future
Japan has one of the world's oldest populations, with approximately 30 per cent of citizens aged over 65 years old. (Reuters: Issei Kato)
According to Professor Teramura, companies like Client Partners demonstrated the growing need for "social innovation that combines caregiving, community, and employment".
"Contributing to society through life experience, emotional labour, and communication skills can provide purpose and income for older women," she said.
OECD economists have warned that the decline in the working-age population in Japan could impact its economic growth.
To counter this, they have recommended closing the gender gap in employment and increasing immigration.
The Japanese government has made some efforts to address these labour gender disparities.
A recent amendment to the Promotion of Women’s Active Engagement in Professional Life Act will force companies to be transparent about their gender pay gap, as well as their share of women in managerial positions, from April 2026.
Ms Kanazawa said working with her older colleagues has made her optimistic about Japan's future.
"Older people have a lot of different experiences and a tough soul, and I've learned a lot from Ms Kaji and my colleagues,"she said.