Strong arms come with a soft touch

Right man for the job: Tatsumi helping a woman train at a care home for people with disabilities in Ichinomiya, Aichi prefecture. — AFP

Muscles bulging, bodybuilder Takuya Usui settles a woman into her wheelchair at a 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.