The Japanese administration bids farewell to floppy disk

Announcing in August 2022 its intention to phase out the use of floppy disks and CDs in official communication, the government introduced new laws in January this year aimed at promoting regulatory overhaul, according to a report by Computerwoche, a publication affiliated with Computerworld. Until recently, there were approximately 1,900 regulatory processes in Japan mandating companies to furnish supplementary information in the form of floppy disks or CD-ROMs, as highlighted by Computerwoche.

As of midway through the previous month, the department had “eliminated all 1,034 rules pertaining to their utilization, with the exception of a single environmental provision related to automotive recycling,” as stated by Reuters, and even that has now been abolished.

Declining Industry

And the measure was taken none too soon: It has been over 14 years since Sony, one of the few remaining vendors of floppy disks in Japan, announced in 2011 its decision to cease sales of floppy disks due to diminishing demand. By 2009, Sony had captured a 70% market share in the Japanese local floppy disk industry, accounting for approximately 12 million disks in total — collectively holding just 17 terabytes of data.

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AndyC

Andy Curtis is an award-winning security consultant, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s, having been employed by state and federal government, leading healthcare and banking providers across three continents. He has given talks about computer security for some of the world’s largest companies, worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and is a regular voice on TV and radio explaining IT security threats.

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