The Japanese government is still trying to phase out floppy disks a decade after Sony stopped making them

According to the Nikkei, the Japanese government is only beginning to phase out floppy disks.
Sony, the last major manufacturer of floppy disks, stopped making the storage media 10 years ago.

For decades, the Japanese government has struggled to digitize its systems and modernize them.

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Floppy disks were out of production for more than a decade. However, the Nikkei reported that the Japanese government has begun to phase them out.

Tokyo officials had held on to the floppy because it was so reliable.

Yoichi Ono, who manages public funds for Meguro Ward, said that the disks "almost never failed and lost data".

Sony, a major manufacturer of floppy disks, has stopped producing the product since 2011. However, they can still be used because they are reusable. Nikkei reported.

Officials in Tokyo have decided that floppy disks must be thrown out due to fees at certain places. Mizuho Bank announced that it would begin charging 50,000 Japanese yen ($440 per month) for physical storage media such as floppy discs in the Meguro Ward, Nikkei reported.

According to the Japanese newspaper, several subdivisions of Tokyo have begun moving data from floppy discs to online storage.

It could take many years to complete the digital transition. The entire digital transition plan for Chiyoda, where many Japanese government offices are located, is expected to be completed by 2026 according to Nikkei.

Despite Japan's modern image, the Japanese government is struggling to move digital. Civil servants voice strong opposition to a recent effort to eliminate fax machines. Similar resistance has been shown to attempts to eliminate personal seals that authorize documents.