In rapidly aging Japan, a company named Visionary employs 'macho carers,' physically strong young men, to assist the elderly and disabled. This unique approach helps residents with mobility while addressing the country's growing need for caregivers, leveraging unexpected profiles for essential support roles.

With his broad smile, Tatsumi Hokuto helps an elderly woman in a Japanese care home almost effortlessly to her feet and makes sure she is steady. At first glance, Hokuto cuts an unlikely figure for a carer role: a powerfully built 27-year-old in tight leggings and a black singlet, with the physique of a dedicated bodybuilder. But for Nagoya-based Visionary, a company that operates nursing and care facilities across Japan, that contrast is precisely the point. Visionary’s “macho carers” like...