フロッピー戦争？ - Living, Loving, Thinking, Again

James FitzGerald*1 “Floppy disks in Japan: Minister declares war on old-fashioned technology” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-62749310

Digital Minister declares a war on floppy discs.
There are about 1900 government procedures that requires business community to use discs, i. e. floppy disc, CD, MD, etc to submit applications and other forms. Digital Agency is to change those regulations so you can use online.
— KONO Taro (@konotaromp) 2022年8月31日

河野太郎デジタル担当大臣*2が「フロッピーディスク」に宣戦布告ということなのだけど、タイトルだけ読んだ段階では、麻生太郎を思い出してしまった。こっちの太郎、以前フロッピー大臣とか呼ばれていなかったっけ？
さて、河野氏が挙げている1900という数字は、FDのほかに、CDやMDも含まれているわけだけど、そのうち、専らFDが要求されるのっていうのは幾つくらいなのだろうか。
さて、フロッピーディスク・ドライヴは2009年に生産が停止され*3、（板としての）フロッピーも2011年に販売が停止されている*4。なので、若い世代には丁寧な解説が必要となっているようだ；

Floppy disks - so-called because the original products were bendable - were created in the late 1960s, but were falling out of fashion three decades later thanks to more efficient storage solutions.
More than 20,000 typical disks would be needed to replicate an average memory stick storing 32GB of information.
But the legacy of the square-shaped device can still be witnessed to this day, as their visual appearance inspired the traditional "save" icon.

“Despite its reputation for innovative high-tech gadgetry, Japan is notorious for clinging to outmoded technology through its office culture.”というふうに、一方ではハイテク・ガジェットを開発し、他方では何世代も前のテクノロジーが生き残り、技術リテラシーの低いエリートも生き残っているというギャップというか二重性は、屡々〈日本の神秘〉として世界のメディアのネタとなってきた。例えば、〈ファックスの国〉としての日本とか*5。今回の記事も、その最新ヴァージョンにすぎないだろう。

This is not the first time Japan has hit the headlines for its old-fashioned habits - which remain a paradox given the country's proficiency at developing exciting new products.
Various explanations have been offered, including poor digital literacy and a bureaucratic culture with conservative attitudes.
There was shock when the country's cyber-security minister admitted in 2018 that he had never used a computer, saying he had always delegated IT tasks to his staff*6.
And it was not until 2019 that Japan's final pager provider closed its service, with the final private subscriber explaining that it was the preferred method of communication for his elderly mother*7.

*3:See https://sumita-m.hatenadiary.com/entry/20090729/1248880500

*4:See https://sumita-m.hatenadiary.com/entry/20100425/1272126288

*5:Chico Harlan “In Japan, fax machines remain important because of language and culture” http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/in-japan-fax-machines-find-a-final-place-to-thrive/2012/06/07/gJQAshFPMV_print.html Mentioned in https://sumita-m.hatenadiary.com/entry/20120706/1341542465

*6:See “Japan's cyber-security minister has 'never used a computer'” https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46222026 桜田義孝のこと。

*7:See “Japan's last pagers beep for the final time” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49888869 See also https://sumita-m.hatenadiary.com/entry/2019/10/24/032009