Scrapping of Regulations Governing the Use of Floppy Disks and Other Recording Media

The Digital Agency has been implementing measures to scrap all regulations on paper and in-person processes enforced in Japan in cooperation with other governmental agencies. In the latest development, the remaining regulation requiring the use of floppy disks and other recording media was abolished on June 28, 2024, with the Agency ending the requirement on automotive recyclers to keep and store related records on such media. Going forward, it will be clarified that this data can be stored electromagnetically. This was the last such regulation remaining in force, following the earlier scrapping of 1,033 similar regulations.

This scrapping of this regulation was delayed due to the additional time required for the need for legal revision to be recognized. It was also necessary to receive public comments and follow certain other procedures for the revision of the related ministerial ordinance.

In Japan, regulations that assumed the use of methods on paper and in-person processes have been widely accepted in society, resulting in a lack of momentum for any attempts to abolish them. Nevertheless, in a meeting of the Special Commission on Digital Administrative Reform held in November 2021, business leaders noted that regulations requiring the submission of documents on recording media such as floppy disks remained in force for multiple administrative procedures connected to the submission of applications and notifications. For such procedures, they requested an online option that would not require the use of such recording media for the exchange of data. In response, the Digital Agency made the decision to scrap all extant regulations requiring the use of floppy disks and others.

We have thus scrapped the regulations that require the use of floppy disks and others, but other regulations on paper and in-person processes still remain in force. The Digital Agency is working assiduously to scrap all regulations that assume the use of methods on paper and in-person processes as soon as possible. Regulations that fall into this category include: visual inspection regulations, regular inspection and other inspection regulations, field audit regulations, residency/full-time regulations, written-notice regulations, in-person course regulations, and on-site viewing/inspection regulations.