Seasonal chocolates remained a top shot for Japanese chocolate market over the last five years.

With the gift-giving traditions surrounding chocolate confectionery so deeply ingrained, manufacturers have found it easy to market their high-end luxurious chocolate products to Japanese consumers. More and more consumers are taking chocolate as a luxury, rather than as food. Seasonal chocolates, which are usually launched around some holidays or occasions in Japan, possess a high-end gift like characteristic. Japanese consumers buy these products at a much higher price to reciprocate to gifts on occasions such as Valentine's Day and White Day. The confectionery market of Japan can be majorly divided into three sectors viz. sugar confectionery, chocolate confectionery, gum, and others. Chocolate is the most popular confectionery sector in Japan, followed closely by sugar confectionery whereas gum remains a small market. Japan consumes the most chocolate in the Asia-Pacific region and has a per capita consumption of above 2 kg per person per annum."Japan Chocolate Market Outlook, 2022" discusses the following aspects of chocolates in Japan: The report gives an in-depth understanding of the chocolate market in Japan: - Global Chocolate Market Outlook - Asia-Pacific Chocolate Market Outlook - Asia-Pacific Chocolate Market Size By Value & Forecast - Asia-Pacific Chocolate Market Size By Volume & Forecast - Asia-Pacific Chocolate Market Segmental Analysis: By Country - Japan Confectionery Market Outlook - Japan Chocolate Market Outlook - Japan Chocolate Market Size By Value & Forecast - Japan Boxed Assortment Market Size By Value & Forecast - Japan Seasonal Chocolate Market Size By Value & Forecast - Japan Tablet Market Size By Value & Forecast - Japan Bagged Self-lines/Soft-lines Market Size By Value & Forecast - Japan Countlines Market Size By Value & Forecast - Japan Chocolate Market Size By Volume & Forecast - Japan Chocolate Market Segmental Analysis: By Company, By Category, By Sales Channel - Pricing Analysis - The key vendors in this market space This report can be useful to Industry consultants, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry. Report Methodology The information contained in this report is based on both primary and secondary research. Primary research included telephonic interviews with some channel partners of chocolate in Japan. Secondary research included an exhaustive search of relevant publications like company annual reports, financial reports, and proprietary databases.

A trend observed in all three confectionery categories viz. sugar, chocolate, and gum was reduced consumption as consumers opted for smaller packages.

Despite larger packs offering less expensive unit prices, consumers desired to spend less while purchasing. As a result, spending on chocolate products also declined. However, the chocolate market has recovered a decent amount of sales after 2013, with most of the sales being created in the premium and luxury categories. Japanese consumers are influenced by the price but they are unlikely to compromise on the quality and freshness of products for more affordable pricing. Hence, the market has already moved towards luxury chocolates rather than everyday products and the average selling price of chocolate products is even higher than the global average.