Did you know that Japan was one of the few developed countries that still used floppy disks to store all its government information? As you read it, it’s no joke. The Japanese government has implemented a law to completely abandon the use of this form of storage that had its peak in the 90s, which until now was the required means to submit any bureaucratic procedure. Why have you made this sudden decision?
Floppy disks and CD-ROMs marked a before and after in the world of technology and revolutionized the way in which all our data was stored to transport it from one place to another. From programs, photos, videos and other documents that were copied in a very simple way by simply inserting the floppy disk, with a maximum storage capacity of 1.44 MB, or the CD-ROM into the computer. We are talking about the 90s, when the Internet had barely taken off.
However, Japan is characterized by maintaining its customs and traditions, in such a way that it continued to share information through these media to be sent by citizens and companies to the ministries. But, this practice has been recently eliminated to renew the entire administrative process so that users can complete their procedures in a much more comfortable way, online.
Japan ends floppy disks and CD-ROMs
The Japanese Ministry of Digital Transformation, led by Taro Kono, has blocked the law that forced the population to store all their confidential documents on floppy disks and CD-ROMs to send them to the corresponding government departments, where more than 1,900 were registered. official procedures.
However, Minister Kono already declared war on the use of floppy disks in August 2022, where the impossibility of finding this type of digital device today was imposed. That year, Kono prioritized his intentions to modify regulations to defend the presentation of documents over the Internet and the storage of data in the cloud. So, on January 23, the counselor was firm in his decision to put an end once and for all to this system, which was being a real headache for the bureaucracy.
From now on, Japanese citizens will no longer have to send their data on floppy disks or CD-ROMs, but will have other possibilities, even for those who do not have a network connection, using hard drives or pendrives.
Floppy disks were counterproductive
The history of the use of floppy disks in Japan has not been very productive, since it is very sensitive information that is stored on transportable devices and that can cause fatal errors. In fact, in 2021, Tokyo police reported that a pair of floppy disks containing confidential documentation on 38 public housing applicants had been lost.
It is a paradox, but despite the fact that Japan is one of the most economically developed regions, where technological innovation and advances in the manufacture of new generation machinery coexist, the truth is that resistance from some government agencies continues to be noted. , such as the Ministry of Justice, which refuse to transfer all administrative procedures online. Be that as it may, the use of floppy disks and CD-ROMs in Japan is already part of its history.
