Source: Hasyim Hasyim / Getty / Floppy Disks
Remember floppy disks? It's okay if you don't because it's an ancient technological relic. People in Japan are still very familiar with computer accessories, but luckily, they don't have to burden them anymore.
It has been detected BBCJapan is finally saying goodbye to floppy disks.
Until last month, people in the country were still required to submit documents to the government using very outdated storage devices because there were over 1,000 regulations requiring their use.
Digital Services Minister Taro Kono said this will no longer be the case after these regulations are thrown in the recycling bin and deleted for good.
Curiously, we also know that the fax machine is still in use, which Kono also wants to eliminate.
Per BBC:
Mr. Kono has made it his goal to eliminate old technology since he was appointed to his position. He had also said earlier that he would “get rid of the fax machine”.
Japan, once considered a technological powerhouse, has in recent years been left behind in the global wave of digital transformation due to a deep resistance to change.
For example, workplaces continued to favor fax machines over email – earlier plans to remove these machines from government offices were scrapped due to pushback.
“I just realized the floppies still exist,” one person wrote to Xex Twitter, in response to New York Times' reference.
Another person added: “Welcome to the 21st century, Japan!”
Floppy disks were first introduced in the 1960s, but fell out of favor with computer users in the 1990s when more efficient data storage methods arrived.
Sony was the last company to make floppy disks until 2011 when they ended their production.
