Japanese restaurant bans couples on Christmas Eve to stop single customers feeling lonely

A hand-written message in the Tokyo restaurant advises couples could also cause staff 'severe emotional trauma'

The PiaPia restaurant [NOT PICTURED] in Tokyo placed the handwritten message in the window of the venue last week (Rex)

A Japanese restaurant has erected a sign saying it will not serve couples on Christmas Eve because they will make other patrons feel lonely.

The PiaPia restaurant in Tokyo placed the handwritten message in the window of the venue last week.

According to a translation by The Telegraph, the message reads: "We will be refusing entry to all couples on December 24, with no exceptions!"

The message also states that any couples would cause their staff “severe emotional trauma”.

Christmas Day is typically a normal working day in Japan, where Christianity is a minority religion. However, many Japanese people often celebrate on Christmas Eve and couples will often go out for meals and exchange gifts.

Takashi Kyozuka, an employee of PiaPia, said the sign was put in the window because single customers would "feel sad that they are by themselves".

"To start with, someone said we should ban couples as a bit of a joke, but then we realised that it's true," he said. "If you are single on Christmas Eve, then it's easy to get down."