0214 Valentine's Traditions Changing in Japan

Valentine's Traditions Changing in Japan

How people celebrate Valentine's Day in Japan seems to be changing, according to recent surveys.

In many Western countries, men and women exchange cards and sweets on February 14 — but there is often more pressure on men to give something to women than the other way around.

In Japan, though, it has long been a tradition for women to give chocolates to men on Valentine's Day. And not just for romantic reasons: women are often expected to give giri choco — or "obligatory chocolates" — to show appreciation to their male coworkers and bosses as well.

However, in a new survey from Nippon Life Insurance Co., 71% of women and 74% of men said they thought giving giri choco was unnecessary.

In the online survey of over 11,000 men and women, just 35% said they would give someone a present on Valentine's Day this year. Of these, 64% said they would give something to a spouse or partner, while just 13% said they would give something to a coworker.

Commenting on these results, Naoko Kuga, a senior researcher at Nippon Life Insurance Co., said the high cost of living may be causing people to prioritize buying chocolates for romantic partners or for themselves.

She also suggested the decline in giving giri choco may be because more people are working remotely, so work relationships are becoming less personal.

A separate survey of 5,000 men and women from the market research company Intage also found that 84% of working women didn't want to give giri choco this year.

The survey found that women are also spending less on chocolates this year, because of the weak yen and the rising cost of chocolate.

Traditions may be changing among younger people too. In another survey of nearly 1,700 high school students by the study app company Studyplus, 23% of boys said they would give someone chocolate on Valentine's Day.