The Japanese government has finally eliminated the use of floppy disks in all of its computer systems, marking a long-awaited milestone in its campaign to modernize its bureaucracy. Last month, the Digital Agency scrapped all 1,034 regulations governing the use of floppy disks, except for an environmental restriction on vehicle recycling. “We won the war against floppy disks on June 28!” Digital Minister Taro Kono, who has also been a vocal opponent of fax machines and other analog technology still used by his country’s government, told Reuters on Wednesday.
The Digital Agency was established during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, when the rush to roll out nationwide testing and vaccinations revealed that the government was still relying on paper documents and outdated technology. Kono, a charismatic figure with 2.5 million followers on X, has previously held roles such as defense and foreign affairs minister, as well as directing Covid vaccine distribution. He assumed his current role in August 2022 after a failed bid to become prime minister. Despite progress, Japan’s digitalization effort has faced numerous obstacles. A contact tracing app failed during the pandemic, and the government’s adoption of the “My Number” digital ID card has been slower than expected, due to repeated data management errors.