A celebrity gorilla at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Nagoya will star in a video to promote the city's municipal job recruitment effort.
Shabani, the 19-year-old western lowland gorilla, has been dubbed an ikemen, which means "hot guy," due to his well-defined facial features. His popularity has spread nationwide through social networking services.
"We would like to recruit someone like Shabani, who is strong, generous and nice to residents," a city official said.
The video runs about four minutes, during which seven young city employees introduce their work at Nagoya City Hall. Then Shabani says, "Let's work together!"
According to the personnel recruitment section in the Nagoya Municipal Government, the number of applicants has been on the decline in recent years as the overall employment situation has improved, prompting the city to make the video.