[ElViajero]

> Ministers back down after hundreds of government offices insist banishing fax would be impossible

That is the problem of having a system that works. It is expensive to replace, a pain to learn for users and difficult to justify the initial investment.

Even if long-term, obviously, digital signatures and electronic mail will be a better system, that initial cost overshadows future gains.

> Japanese ministries and agencies use faxes when handling highly confidential information, including court procedures and police work, and the Hokkaido Shimbun said there were fears that exclusively online communication would result in security lapses.

And, they are not wrong. The simplicity of a one-to-one communication makes it harder to misuse. Efficiency usually is an antitheses to safety.

The digitization of Japan is inevitable. But, it is going to take a long time until a new system has the trust, the user-base and acceptance of the old fax one.