Japan has an impending millennium bug problem. In the lead up to the turn of the millennium, few computers were able to properly represent the year 2000, leaving people worried about what would happen when midnight on New Year鈥檚 eve struck. Now the same issues could arise in Japan when the current emperor steps down in April next year.
The Japanese calendar is based on era names that coincide with the rule of its emperors. We鈥檝e been in the Heisei or 鈥減eace everywhere鈥� era since Japan鈥檚 current emperor, Akihito, took the throne in 1989. This period has covered the majority of modern computing, so most software has never needed to change to reflect a new era.
Almost every part of society, from payrolls to parking tickets, relies on recording dates accurately, so the change could break systems that rely on Japanese era naming conventions.
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Anne-L茅onore Dardenne, an independent analyst of Japanese domestic and international affairs, warns that in particular the computer systems run by postal service, banks and the register of residential addresses maintained by local governments, may grind to a halt. This is because some systems rely on looking for the era date in order to work. If they look for an era name that doesn鈥檛 exist, the systems may stop working.
鈥淒ates are really important in computer systems and the way we process information,鈥� says Chris Weston, a technology consultant who was working as a computer programmer in the run up to the millennium.
Some stopgaps and workarounds have already been found. Japan鈥檚 online tax filing system will continue to use the Heisei-era date but include a note that the document is officially certified until they fix the problem. The Tokyo prefecture has gone further: it鈥檒l use western dating systems on official documents alongside the traditional Japanese style.
According to , Microsoft has also started to prepare for the era change.聽 The spring release of its Windows 10 operating system includes a placeholder entry for the new era in the registry 鈥� a database of crucial computer settings. That fix is important because if the registry breaks, your computer likely will. The firm has also set up a Japanese-language blog with advice for developers.
Microsoft declined to comment, but said in a blog post that 鈥渕ost software has not been tested to ensure that it will behave with an additional era.鈥�
Though there were dire warnings that the world would grind to a halt in the year 2000, many systems survived without problems. That鈥檚 in large part thanks to meticulous preparation and strong awareness campaigns. 鈥淚t was an issue, but it was well understood and well communicated,鈥� says Weston.
鈥淭echnologies capture a moment in time,鈥� says 聽at the London School of Economics. 鈥淔or many good reasons, software can鈥檛 be written with every contingency in mind.鈥�
