Japan declares victory in 'war' on floppy disks

Japan has finally bid farewell to floppy disks, those once-ubiquitous storage devices that have long since become obsolete. Until just last month, Japanese citizens were still required to use these outdated devices to submit documents to the government, with over 1,000 regulations mandating their use. However, these rules have now been abolished, as announced by Digital Minister Taro Kono. Back in 2021, Mr. Kono had declared a 'war' on floppy disks, and nearly three years later, he triumphantly proclaimed, 'We have won the war on floppy disks! ' Since his appointment, Mr. Kono has been on a mission to eliminate outdated technology. He had also previously stated his intention to 'get rid of the fax machine. ' Once considered a technological powerhouse, Japan has struggled to keep up with the global digital transformation due to a strong resistance to change. For example, many workplaces still prefer fax machines over emails, and earlier plans to remove these machines from government offices were abandoned due to pushback. The announcement about floppy disks sparked widespread discussion on Japanese social media. One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, described floppy disks as a 'symbol of an anachronistic administration. ' Another comment read, 'The government still uses floppy disks? That's so outdated. I guess they're just full of old people. ' Some comments were more nostalgic, with one user wondering if floppy disks would start appearing on auction sites. Floppy disks, which were created in the 1960s, fell out of favor in the 1990s as more efficient storage solutions emerged. The highest density floppy disks could hold only 1. 44MB of data, meaning that over 22,000 such disks would be needed to match the storage capacity of a 32GB memory stick. Sony, the last manufacturer of floppy disks, ceased production in 2011. In an effort to modernize its bureaucracy, Japan launched a Digital Agency in September 2021, led by Mr. Kono. However, Japan's journey towards digitization is proving to be challenging. Many businesses still require official documents to be endorsed with carved personal stamps known as hanko, despite the government's efforts to phase them out. According to The Japan Times, people are moving away from these stamps at a 'glacial pace. ' It wasn't until 2019 that the country's last pager service was discontinued, with the final private subscriber explaining that it was the preferred method of communication for his elderly mother.