Japanese women push back against Valentine’s tradition of ‘obligation chocolate’

Japanese women are pushing back against a tradition the dictates they must give chocolates to male colleagues on Valentine’s Day, with growing anger at the practice of “forced giving”. Giving chocolate as Valentine’s Day gifts took off commercially in Japan in the mid-1950s, growing into a multimillion-dollar market that provides some manufacturers with a sizeable chunk of their annual sales in just a few days. While individual consumers weigh up their gift-giving options, Japan’s collective Valentine’s chocolate obsession is gathering pace as the day approaches.

Source: www.theguardian.com