Team building activities Japanese companies recruit cry a handsome boy

Japanese firms are hiring in ‘handsome weeping boys’ in a bid to make staff cry as part of bizarre team-building exercises.

The good looking men reportedly arrive at offices and play upsetting films showing dying pets or families dealing with terminal illness.

The workshops, which are mainly aimed at women, supposedly bring staff together by showing their vulnerabilities to each other.

The hosts then walk around wiping tears from the faces of those who have burst into tears.

Ryusei, one of the handsome weeping boys, told the BBC: "Japanese are not used to crying in front of people. But once you cry in front of others, the environment will change, particularly in a business .”

He is known as a “good looking but slightly older” weeping boy because he is nearly 40 while most hosts are in their 20s.

The quirky workshops were dreamed up by Hiroki Terai in an attempt to get Japanese people to more openly express their emotions.

The businessman, who was inspired by his schoolboy days when he ate his lunch alone in a toilet cubicle, said he “wants Japanese people to cry”.

He added: “After you cry and let people see your vulnerability, you can get along even better with people which is also good for the company.”

Other services on offer in Japan include non-sexual cuddling sessions and businesses that will let lonely people rent a friend.