--- title: "Japanese Government Says Employees Will Stop Saving Official Data on Floppy Disks" description: "The Japanese government is still requiring some of its agencies to save data on floppy disks, CDs, MiniDisks and cassette tapes." date: "2022-08-31" modified: "2022-08-31" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/japanese-government-floppy-disks" categories: - "Cybersecurity" - "Data Privacy" - "Future Society" tags: - "floppy disks" - "Japan" - "the digest" --- # Japanese Government Says Employees Will Stop Saving Official Data on Floppy Disks ![]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Copy That Floppy The Japanese government still requires some of its agencies to save data on CDs and even floppy disks, [Japanese English-language newspaper *Nikkei Asia* reports](). Needless to say, those are some extraordinarily obsolete forms of data storage, especially in a country often seen as a bastion of advanced technologies. Now, though, the country's newly-appointed minister of digital affairs is desperately trying to drag data storage rules into the 21st century. ## Still Saving Kono, an outspoken lawmaker who was [appointed digital minister]() earlier this month, has been leading an outright war against bureaucratic inefficiencies and the use of outdated tech, including the use fax machines, [*Bloomberg* reports](). On Tuesday, Kono announced a new initiative to allow government agencies to store data on the cloud — a major technological upgrade, given the ongoing use of outdated storage. In fact, according to Kono, the country still has roughly 1,900 provisions in its laws requiring workers to store data on floppies and CDs. Other provisions call for data to be submitted on cassette tapes and MiniDiscs. "Where does one even buy a floppy disk these days?" Kono told reporters, as quoted by *Nikkei Asia*. "We will change \[these rules\] promptly." ## Spitting Fax Kono's worry is not unwarranted. The news comes after Japanese newspaper *The* *Mainichi* [reported last December]() that Tokyo police lost two floppy disks that held crucial information on 38 public housing applicants. The minister isn't just aiming his sights at the use of floppy disks. "I’m looking to get rid of the fax machine, and I still plan to do that," he told reporters at this week's meeting. **READ MORE:** [Storing data on floppy disks? Japan tells bureaucracy time to stop]() \[*Nikkei Asia*\] **More on Japan:** *[Furious Dolphin Bites At Least Six Beachgoers in Japan]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()