Japanese women explain why they give “obligation chocolate” to male coworkers on Valentine’s Day soranews24.com

Valentine’s Day in Japan is as much about the chocolate as it is about romance.
But just as there are all sorts of romantic feelings, from a simple crush to a love that you feel from the bottom of your heart, so too are there many different classes of Valentine’s day chocolate in Japan.
In terms of volume, most of the chocolate purchased and given for Valentine’s Day is what’s known as giri choco, literally “obligation chocolate.” Giri choco doesn’t carry any significance of romantic love, but is instead given by women to their male coworkers and colleagues as a social nicety.
▼ Delicious dutyThe Japanese division of multinational corporation 3M recently polled Japanese women about their giri choco plans, finding that out of 450 respondents, 39.8 percent planned on giving giri choco to a coworker this February.
Regardless of the impetus, the average giri choco gift isn’t terribly expensive.