Photo/Illutration Fax machines continue to be utilized in some offices and homes across Japan. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Despite the government’s push for digital transformation, fax machines continue to thrive in Japan’s educational sector, with 77.1 percent of public elementary and junior high schools still using the communication device.

An education ministry survey last fall, involving 26,014 schools nationwide, showed that the situation had improved from 95.9 percent of schools using fax machines the year before.

However, this progress is still far from sufficient for the government to meet its goal of eliminating fax machines from all public schools by March 2026.

When asked who they communicate with using fax, 68.5 percent of schools named private businesses, 46 percent cited other schools and 42.7 percent mentioned the local educational board.

Similarly, schools are unlikely to meet their goal of abolishing traditional personal seals, which function like signatures, by the same deadline.

While “hanko” seals are often viewed as a symbol of bureaucracy and inefficiency, they are deeply embedded in Japanese society and are much more persistent than fax machines.

The survey revealed that 92.7 percent of schools still require official seals on certain documents, with common examples including report cards and consent forms for school trips.

The survey also looked into the reasons behind the slow pace of digitalization in school administrations.

The most common obstacle, cited by 42.6 percent of the schools, was a lack of time for internal discussions on proposed changes.

Other challenges included inadequate infrastructure at 33.7 percent of schools and a lack of confidence in using the latest technologies at 29.6 percent.

Still, ministry officials emphasize that there is ample room for improvement, including the sharing of best practices and increased support from local educational boards.

Related News