is an innovative country that is leading the way on many technological fronts. But the wheels of bureaucracy there often turn incredibly slowly. So much so that the government still requires companies to provide information on floppy disks and CD-ROMs when submitting certain official documents.
This is starting to change. In 2022, Digital Minister Taro Kono has urged various branches of government to The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is one of the first to make this change. “Under current law, there are numerous provisions stipulating the use of specific recording media such as floppy disks regarding application and notification methods,” METI said last week, according to .
After this calendar year, METI will no longer require companies to submit data on floppy disks under 34 orders. The same applies to CD-ROMs when dealing with an indeterminate number of procedures. However, there is still a long way to go before companies can completely stop using either format.
Kono staff have identified some 1,900 protocols across several government departments that still require floppy disks, CD-ROMs and even MiniDiscs. Physical media requirements even applied to key industries such as utility providers, mining operations, and aircraft and weapons manufacturers.
There are several main reasons why one strives to stop using floppy disks, such as points out. A major factor is that floppy disks can be difficult to find. Sony, the last major manufacturer, . Another reason is that some types of data simply don't fit on a floppy disk. A single photo can easily exceed the format's 1.4MB storage capacity.
Some other industries still rely on floppy disks. Some older planes require them for their avionics, as do some aging medical devices. It also took the US government stop using floppy disks to coordinate nuclear weapons launches.