Japan Minister Taro Kono 'declares war' against outdated technology, targets floppy disks

Japan’s Digital Minister Taro Kono has almost "declared war" against the floppy disk, a technology that has now become obsolete and many have not seen for decades. It seems that Taro Kono has vowed to get rid of some retro-tech outdated tools mostly used by Japan’s bureaucracy.

Not only the floppy disk, but the Taro Kono digital war also targeted many outdated tools—from the Hanko stamp to the fax machine, which could upset the emotions of many nostalgic devotees.

The square-shared, hand-sized data storage device, along with other similar items like the CD and mini disk, has been used in some government procedures. Taro Kono explained that his attempt to get rid of such outdated tools used by the bureaucracy would be expanded further as he targets shifting the entire administrative procedures online.


Taro Kono told reporters that they would be reviewing these procedures swiftly, adding that Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida had extended his full support in this matter.

Surprisingly, Japan is not the only country struggling with phasing out outdated technology. In 2019, the Defense Department of the United States declared that it would not use floppy disks in the control system of its nuclear arsenal.



Developed in the 1960s, floppy disks were first introduced by IBM in 1971. Sony stopped manufacturing these disks in 2011. Today, the majority of younger generations would struggle to demonstrate how to use these disks, while many would even fail to identify one.

A presentation by Japan’s digital task force clearly showed that legal regulations are making obstacles to adopting the current technology like cloud storage for extensive use with bureaucracy.

The team will evaluate all plans and provisions before announcing solutions to improve these bureaucratic practices.

Being one of the prominent politicians of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, Taro Kono has been cited as a contender for the PM’s position. He has openly criticised bureaucratic incompetence due to archaic practices.