Japan’s digital minister declares victory over floppy disks • The Register

Japan’s Digital Minister Taro Kono has confirmed that the Japanese government has finally gotten rid of floppy disks.

“We won the floppy disk war on June 28!” Digital Affairs Minister Taro Kono told Reuters on Wednesday.

Kono pledged in 2022 to eliminate the law requiring floppy disks and CD-ROMs when sending data to the Japanese government. However, it took another year and a half for the relics to be recalled.

A few weeks ago, the Japan Digital Agency removed 1,034 regulations governing their use, leaving only one that dealt with vehicle recycling.

While it may seem futuristic in some ways, Japan still has a soft spot for old technology, and not just floppy disks. Things like cash payments and fax machines complicate its reputation, as well as its desire to lead in technology.

The country appears to be having a reckoning with technology as a declining population and low birth rate force it to turn to artificial intelligence and digital tools to solve labor shortages.

Kono’s declaration of victory over supporters of the retro movement coincided with rumors that he sees himself as its future president, who will take office in September, after the country’s leadership election.

Local media noted that if he ran, it would be a rare case of a minister challenging the candidacy of a sitting cabinet chief in the ruling party’s presidential election.

Before becoming Minister of Digital Affairs, Kono held positions such as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defence, and Minister of Administrative and Regulatory Reform.

A YouGov study conducted in 2018, when Kono was Foreign Secretary, found that two-thirds of British children aged six to 18 did not even know what a floppy disk was.

Video footage from the period shows children speculating that they might be from outer space or perhaps they are Victorian artifacts. ®