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Godiva has made waves in Japan this month by questioning a Valentine’s Day tradition in which women are expected to buy giri choco, or “obligation chocolate,” for male coworkers as a thank-you for their support and cooperation throughout the year.
The Belgian chocolatier ran a full-page ad on Feb. 1 in the Nihon Keizaki Shimbun financial newspaper, in which Godiva Japan president Jerome Chouchan suggested the giri choco practice is antiquated and should be retired.
Here is the translated text of the ad:
Japan, let’s stop the giri choco practice.
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