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Japan’s government has proclaimed a “floppy disc war.” Decades after the cumbersome magnetic storage disks become outmoded and were phased out internationally, Japan’s digital ministry has declared that it will phase out floppy disks and other old technologies to reform its bureaucracy.
Key takeaways
- In the 1960s, the first floppy discs were created.
- One of the societies on earth with the most sophisticated technology is China. The nation’s companies and the government still rely on floppy discs internally.
- Japan had declared war on outdated technologies, including floppy discs.
- Kono estimates that 1,900 government processes still need the corporate sector to submit applications and other documentation on floppy discs. The typical storage capacity of a 3.5-inch floppy disc is 1.44MB or roughly 10 seconds of 480p video.
- Last week, Kono blasted the nation’s continued use of other antiquated technologies at a news conference. He declared, “I’m still seeking to get away from the fax machine.
About the issue
At a news conference last week, Taro Kono, Japan’s digital minister, stated that he wants to move administrative operations online. “Digital Minister vows war on floppy CDs,” he tweeted earlier this week in English. “The Digital Agency is changing those restrictions so that you may use them online.” Although Japan is home to some of the world’s finest technological companies, the Japanese have always preferred older technology. Cassettes were still frequently used in 2015, according to a BBC article.
Meanwhile, the country’s cyber security minister officially revealed in 2019 that he’d never used a computer.
Decision Of Japan’s Minister
Taro Kono, Japan’s recently hired Minister of Digital Affairs has declared war upon that floppy disc and other kinds of outmoded media, which the state still mandates as a submission medium for approximately 1,900 different sorts of business forms and other forms. The idea is to modernise the procedures by transferring the submission of information online.
According to Bloomberg, Kono unveiled the idea during a media briefing in Japan on Tuesday. Legal difficulties have hampered the transition to cloud data storage in the past. Japanese government agencies frequently accept contributions from the public and corporations on CDs, MiniDiscs, or floppy discs. In December 2021, Japan’s Mainichi paper revealed that Tokyo police had misplaced two floppy discs with data on 38 social housing applicants. Even by the end of the year, a technical task force team chaired by Kono will outline how to address such concerns.
Kono expressed his willingness to upgrade the tech in the Japanese state shortly after entering office earlier in the month, citing Japan’s dependence on Hanko hand seals during the COVID-19 epidemic and fax machines rather than email. He’s also been vocal about the issue on Twitter.
Floppy disc technology has been a storage device for almost 50 years. Sony debuted 3.5-inch floppy discs in 1983, and its most common form generally stores only 1.44 gigabytes of data. Sony ceased production in 2011, causing Taro to remark during his media briefing, “Where does one even buy a floppy disc these days?”
The Floppy Disk
“Where does one even acquire a floppy disc these days?” Kono was questioned at a media briefing last Tuesday. The question is relevant because almost no firm still manufactures them. Sony, one of the leading floppy disc manufacturers, stopped producing floppy discs in 2010 and over a decade ago.
No computer made today has a floppy disc input connection. According to YouGov, two-thirds of youngsters under 18 in the United Kingdom don’t even understand what a floppy disc is.
Tortoise-Pace Shift
The need to replace the floppy disc and fax machines eventually comes as Japan builds a computerised national ID system that residents might use to digitally sign tax filings, apply for other public services online, and utilise internet banking login details and transaction signatures.
Kono argues that an electronic Identity system is essential because towns struggled to distribute emergency benefits to people during the COVID-19 epidemic; citizens were forced to attach a picture of their passports and bank details to get benefits.
Doctors who had to submit documentation on each new coronavirus illness by hand criticised Japan’s obstinate dependence on the fax during the COVID-19 pandemic. One father went on a Twitter rant, calling the procedure “Showa period nonsense,” alluding to the imperial period that lasted from 1926 to Emperor Hirohito’s death in 1989.
How Does The Japanese Government Plan To Quit Utilising Antiquated Technology?
According to a commission established by the Japanese government, around 1,900 government operations still require using particular storage media, such as the floppy disc, CD, and micro disc. According to the digital minister, the government will alter its rules, allowing consumers to use internet services instead.
At a news conference earlier in the week, Kono stated, “We will be reviewing these practices swiftly,” adding that he has the backing of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. However, according to The Guardian, other government officials have strongly disagreed with Kono, arguing that the floppy provides a level of protection and legitimacy that an email cannot.
