Japan Finally Enters The 21st Century, Will No Longer Use Floppy Disks To Submit Documents To The Government
Written by djfrosty on July 5, 2024
Source: Hasyim Hasyim / Getty / Floppy Disks
Do you remember floppy disks? It’s okay if you don’t because they are an ancient technological relic. Folks in Japan are still very familiar with computer accessories, but thankfully, they no longer have to be hamstrung by them.
Spotted on BBC, Japan is finally saying goodbye to floppy disks.
Until last month, people in the country were still required to submit documents to the government using severely outdated storage devices because there were over 1,000 regulations requiring they have been used.
Digital Minister Taro Kono said that would no longer be the case after those regulations were tossed into the recycle bin and permanently erased.
Hilariously, we also know that the fax machine is still in use, which Kono also wants to eliminate.
Per BBC:
Mr Kono has made it his goal to eliminate old technology since he was appointed to the job. He had earlier also said he would “get rid of the fax machine”.
Once seen as a tech powerhouse, Japan has in recent years lagged in the global wave of digital transformation because of a deep resistance to change.
For instance, workplaces have continued to favour fax machines over emails – earlier plans to remove these machines from government offices were scrapped because of pushback.
“Just realized that floppy disks still exist,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in response to the New York Times’ reporting.
Another person added, “Welcome to the 21st century, Japan!”
Floppy disks were first introduced in the 1960s but fell out of favor with computer users in the 1990s when more efficient data storage methods arrived.
Sony was the last company to manufacture floppy disks until 2011 they ended production.