Japanese women don’t want to congratulate male colleagues on Valentine’s Day

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Japanese women resented the tradition of giving male colleagues chocolates on Valentine’s Day.

According to The Guardian, many have to spend thousands of yen on such presents to avoid reproaches and insults.
In Japan, this practice is called giri choco or “compulsory chocolate.” It is assumed that men should answer on March 14 on White Day – an event invented by candy makers to increase sales.

As the newspaper notes, for many Japanese women the tradition becomes overwhelming. Some companies now prohibit this kind of donation.

“Before the ban, we had to worry about how and how much it is appropriate to spend on chocolate, who should donate it, and who don’t, therefore it’s good that we no longer have this compulsory culture,” an employee of a Japanese company said.