Over 60 Pct in Japan Have Plans for Mother’s Day

Tokyo, May 7 (Jiji Press)–Over 60 pct of people in Japan plan to do something for their mother or mother-in-law for Mother’s Day on Sunday, a survey by Tokyo-based research company Intage Inc. has shown. The survey, conducted online in late March, covered people aged 15 to 79 who are registered as Intage questionnaire respondents. Valid responses were received from 5,000 of them. Of about 3,600 respondents who said they had a mother or mother-in-law, 64.6 pct answered that they will do something for the occasion. Asked about their plans, 21.2 pct, the biggest proportion, said they will give confectionery or sweets. Those who chose flowers came next at 17.6 pct, while 14.4 pct said they will express their gratitude by saying thank you. Meanwhile, the survey highlighted differences in expectations between mothers and their children by asking mothers what they would be happy to receive for Mother’s Day. Among some 1,300 mothers surveyed, the largest group, at 31.7 pct, said that they would be happy if they receive words of gratitude. Meanwhile, 31.1 pct said they would appreciate confectionery or sweets, followed by 23.2 pct who preferred spending time together as a family, such as having meals. Amid the persisting inflation, other Intage surveys conducted this year, including those on spending for cherry blossom-viewing gatherings, have shown a decline in budgets for such occasions. Still, the average budget for those planning to do something for Mother’s Day stood at 5,102 yen, little changed from last year’s average spending of 5,063 yen reported by about 2,000 respondents. “On Mother’s Day, the price range for gifts and other items tends to be relatively fixed,” Intage analyst Emiko Mori said, adding that the results may reflect the fact that the occasion is “a once-a-year event that plays an important role in parent-child relationships.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]