In times of need, Japanese say they can even ask the cat for help. In this town in western Japan, people look to Tama, a nine-year-old cat working as master of an unmanned train station.

　　The tortoiseshell coloured creature, born and raised at Kishi Station on the provincial Kishigawa Line, wears a formal uniform cap of Wakayama Electric Railway and calmly watches passing passengers who greet her.

　　There are 10 train stations on the 14.3-kilometre line.

　　"Tama is the only stationmaster as we have to reduce personnel costs. You say you could ask for the cat's help, but she is actually bringing luck to us," Wakayama Electric spokeswoman Keiko Yamaki said.

　　The company feeds her in lieu of代替 salary.

　　Tama was born from a stray cat brought to the station by a cleaner and kept by Toshiko Koyama, a local who runs a grocery store next door.

　　The station went unmanned in April 2006 as the line was losing money. But Tama stuck around.

　　She rose to national stardom in January 2007 as the railway company formally appointed her as "stationmaster".

　　Her appointment had an immediately positive effect, boosting the number of passengers using the line in January by 17 percent from a year earlier.

　　Happy with her successful job as stationmaster, the company promoted Tama to "super-stationmaster" in January this year, making her "the only female in a managerial position" in the company's 36-strong workforce.

　　"She now holds the fifth highest position in the company," Yamaki joked.

　　In reward for the promotion, Tama got a new "office".

　　The stationmaster's office, a renovated former ticket booth售票亭 at the station, opened in April.

　　The office guarantees her some privacy.

　　"She declines to relieve herself when passengers are looking. We set the toilet where passengers can't see," Yamaki said.

　　"She works nine to five and takes Sundays off," Yamaki said.

　　在劳动力短缺时期，日本人说他们恨不得让猫来帮忙。而在这个日本西部小镇，人们真的指望上了一只名叫阿玉的猫，这只九岁的猫在一个无人售票火车站任站长。

　　这只花猫在“贵志川线”的贵志站出生并长大。她总是头戴和歌山电气铁路公司的制服帽，静静地注视着跟她打招呼的来往乘客。

　　“贵志川线”总长14.3公里，沿途共有十站。

　　和歌山公司的女发言人山木庆子说：“由于公司要降低人力成本，阿玉是这条线上唯一一个‘站长’。说是让猫来帮忙，但其实是她给我们带来了好运。”

　　阿玉的薪水就是铁路公司发给她的“猫粮”。

　　阿玉是一只流浪猫的后代，她被一个清洁工带到贵志火车站，并由车站旁杂货店的老板小山和田“抚养”。

　　由于贵志川线经营亏损，贵志站于2006年4月改为无人售票车站，不过阿玉并未离开。

　　2007年1月，阿玉被和歌山电气铁路公司任命为贵志站的“站长”，从此一炮走红。

　　阿玉上任后，贵志川线的经营状况很快出现好转，整条线当月的乘客数量比前一年同期增长了17%。

　　由于对阿玉的工作表现十分满意，和歌山公司于今年一月提拔她为“超级站长”，阿玉也因此成为这家拥有36人公司的管理层的唯一一位“女性成员”。

　　山木说：“现在她是公司的第五把手了。”

　　阿玉升官后，还得到了一间新的“站长办公室”。

　　站长办公室由原来的售票处改造而成，并于今年四月开放。

　　这间办公室保护了阿玉的一些“隐私”。

　　山木说：“当有乘客看她时，她总是拒绝大小便。所以我们把猫砂放在了乘客看不见的地方。”

　　“她每天‘朝九晚五’，周日休息。”