A Japanese humanoid robot has found a new role – as a Buddhist priest for hire at funerals.

Though it has not yet been booked for a service, Softbank's 'Pepper' robot was on display yesterday at a funeral industry fair in Tokyo.

The robot chants sutras or prayers while tapping a drum.

The funeral software was written by Nissei Eco Co. Its spokesman Michio Inamura said that with Japan's population ageing and shrinking, many Buddhist priests receive less financial support from their communities, prompting some to find part-time work outside their temple duties.

The funeral robot could step in when a priest was not available, he said. It also cost less at 50,000 yen (£350) per funeral compared to more than 240,000 yen (£1,700) for a human priest.

Buddhist priest Tetsugi Matsuo said he came to the expo to see if Pepper could 'impart the 'heart' aspect to a machine because I believe that the 'heart' is the foundation of religion'.

The initiative follows the introduction of another religious robot named BlessU-2, developed as part of the Reformation 500 celebrations in Germany. It greets those who approach it and delivers blessings in up to five different languages, in addition to their choice for a male or female voice. BlessU-2 then offers 31 blessings to choose from its four categories. Once a blessing has been requested, the prayer begins.