Rent-a-sister: Coaxing Japan’s hikikomori out of their rooms

At least half a million young men in Japan are thought to have withdrawn from society, and refuse to leave their bedrooms. They’re known as hikikomori.

Their families often don’t know what to do, but one organisation is offering “sisters for hire” to help coax these young men out of their isolation.

If you, or someone you know, have been affected by mental health issues, you can find links to organisations that may be able to help here.

A film by Amelia Martyn-Hemphill, external for BBC World Hacks. Development producer-Ammar Ebrahim