Yuichi Ishii

At age 27, after working in the welfare, advertising, and IT industries, he founded Family Romance Inc., specializing in proxy and stand-in attendance services. He pioneered unprecedented services such as family proxy, friend rental, rental boyfriend/girlfriend, and social media lifestyle proxy.

The idea was sparked in 2004 when an acquaintance, a single mother, shared her struggles. Her earnest wish for "a father for my child" inspired the concept of a proxy service specializing in family rental.

In the early days, public awareness of proxy services was low and credibility was lacking. While personally working as a proxy in the field, Yuichi Ishii cooperated with hundreds of media outlets across all formats, raising awareness of the entire proxy industry and spreading the reality of how it fills gaps in modern society worldwide.

Selected as one of the year's most notable companies for Fuji TV's year-end program "Moukaru Journal Miyane-shiki," appearing on television alongside the president of Seijo Ishii and other business leaders.

In March 2018, an article by American writer Roc Morin was published in The Atlantic, attracting worldwide attention. This article caught the eye of director Werner Herzog, leading to the film adaptation.

Lecture Theme: "Japan's Proxy Industry and Modern Society"

At age 36, he was invited to Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, to speak at the "Harvard Global Health & Leadership Conference 2019." This was the first full-scale academic lecture by a Japanese person on proxy and stand-in attendance services.

The lecture presented content linking the psychological backgrounds of actual clients and staff training philosophy to Japanese society, based on past case studies. It earned high praise for discussing the social significance of proxy services at the world's top university.

Published a book compiling episodes from his extensive experience playing various roles as a proxy in the field. The book explores why clients make their requests and how their lives changed through Ishii's proxy work, linking the struggles of both sides to modern society.

Available at Amazon, Rakuten Books, and bookstores nationwide. A must-read for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes of the proxy industry.

Directed by German master filmmaker Werner Herzog, the film is based on episodes Yuichi Ishii experienced in the field. It premiered at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival in May 2019 in the non-competition section (special screening).

The story of a daughter who believes Ishii is her real father resonated with audiences worldwide. The film has been highly praised as a unique work that blurs the line between reality and fiction.

His performance in "Family Romance, LLC" was recognized with a Best Newcomer nomination at the Faro Island Film Festival 2021. The nomination acknowledged Ishii's natural acting talent, demonstrated through over 300 hours of filming despite not being a professional actor.

Appeared in "Der unsichtbare Reaktor" (The Invisible Reactor) directed by Jan-Christoph Gockel. He took the stage at the Staatstheater Nurnberg in a production themed around the Fukushima nuclear issue, expanding his activities beyond film into the world of theater. Photo: Konrad Fersterer

The live-action film "Rental Family," modeled after Yuichi Ishii, was released in Japan. Based on episodes from the book "The Human Rental Shop," it was written and directed by Takehito Sakamoto. With the tagline "I just want to make people happy," this human drama depicts the world of proxy services. Yuichi Ishii himself makes a surprise appearance.