Japan has finally entered the 21st century by scrapping regulations requiring the use of floppy disks for administrative purposes. This move comes 13 years after the country’s last floppy disk units were manufactured. Despite advancements in technology, Japan had been holding onto outdated tech like fax machines and cash. The country began moving away from floppy disks just two years ago when its digital minister declared a “war on floppy disks.”
The switch to more modern storage devices like flash drives and cloud storage has been a slow process, with some businesses reluctant to give up the familiar technology. In the southern town of Tsuwano, officials in the accounting department only replaced their floppy disks in April 2023. The new system has proven to be faster and more accurate, though the transition was not without its challenges.
While Japan has finally eliminated regulations requiring the use of floppy disks, some industries and sectors continue to rely on the outdated technology. Higo Bank still processes nearly 300 floppy disks daily, and the traditional textile industry in Kyoto has not updated its technology since the 1980s. Outside of Japan, industries like embroidery and avionics still use floppy disks.
The digital minister has signaled that fax machines are next on the chopping block, as they are still widely used in Japan. Despite the benefits of modern technology, some officials lament the loss of the security that came with outdated tech like floppy disks. Japan’s transition away from floppy disks marks a step toward modernization, even as some sectors continue to hold onto the past.
Source
Photo credit www.nytimes.com