The first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago.Japanese couples, too busy for a normal social life, are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives.

Japanese couples, too busy for a normal social life, are increasingly turning to actors to play their friends on the most important days of their lives.

Several agencies have sprung up offering actors to attend weddings or even funerals. The first guest-for-hire company was established about nine years ago and around 10 now send out dozens of pretend friends to family events.

Agencies such as Hagemashi Tai - which means "I want to cheer you up" - charge around £100 for each "guest". Other services such as giving a speech in praise of a bride or the groom¹ cost extra.

The emergence² of the small fake³ friends industry has been linked to social and economic changes in Japan. With lifetime employment a thing of the past, couples feel uncomfortable about inviting⁴ work colleagues to their wedding. Increasingly busy and put upon, many Japanese surround themselves with only a very small circle of friends.

When they marry, however, they are under pressure to match the number of their new partner's wedding guests.

Office Agents, the largest provider of pretend friends, makes sure that its employees have done their homework and know all about the bride or groom before the wedding.

Hiroshi Mizutani, the company's founder⁵, said the fake friends he provides must look happy, be well dressed and look like people with good jobs.

如今，越来越多忙于工作而没时间进行正常社交的日本夫妇们常常在重要的日子租赁演员来假扮自己的朋友。

日本国内涌现出几家提供参加婚礼甚至葬礼的演员的公司。日本首家“租友”公司创办于约九年前，目前约有10家机构为家庭活动提供假朋友服务。

像Hagemashi Tai（意为“我想让你开心“）这样的公司每提供一位朋友收费100英镑。若要提供其它服务如致辞赞美新郎或新娘需额外收费。

小型“租友”行业的兴起与日本的社会经济变化密不可分。随着终身雇佣成为历史，人们越来越不情愿邀请同事来参加自己的婚礼。由于工作越来越忙，压力越来越大，很多日本人的朋友圈都很小。

但在结婚的时候，又不能让自己这边的宾客比对方少。

规模最大的租友公司“办公代理公司“要求其雇员在参加婚礼前做足功课，做到对新娘或新郎的情况了如指掌。

该公司的创建者弘水谷称，他的公司提供的假扮朋友看上去一定要开心，穿着得体，让人一看就是个工作体面的人。

Vocabulary:

spring up:涌现

lifetime employment: 终身雇佣制，是日本企业战后的基本用人制度，指从各类学校毕业的求职者，一经企业正式录用直到退休始终在同一企业工作。

done their homework: 做必要的准备工作