Which company first introduced Valentine's Day in Japan with a 1936 advertisement?

Morozoff Ltd. first introduced Valentine's Day in Japan with a 1936 advertisement.

The Kobe-based confectionery company placed the advertisement in the Japan Advertiser, an English-language newspaper aimed largely at foreigners living in Japan. Its message promoted a boxed chocolate gift “for your Valentine.” This was an early commercial introduction, not the moment when the holiday immediately became a nationwide Japanese custom.

Valentine's Day gained broader momentum after World War II. Morozoff promoted heart-shaped chocolates in 1953, Isetan department store held a Valentine's sale in 1958, and campaigns by confectionery companies during the 1960s helped establish the modern tradition. Fujiya, Morinaga, and Meiji later played important roles in Japanese confectionery culture, but they were not the company credited with the first 1936 introduction.

Japan's custom also developed differently from the Western pattern: women traditionally give chocolate to men on February 14, while reciprocal gifts are associated with White Day on March 14.