Chaos breaks out in Japan as Microsoft ends support for Internet Explorer

Although Japan is still seen by many as one of the world’s tech hubs , things are not as good as they used to be in the country. Japanese government agencies and commercial organizations are facing a major crisis as Microsoft’s support for the Internet Explorer browser has ended.

According to incoming information, Tokyo-based software company Computer Engineering & Consulting (CEC) has not been able to fulfill orders since April due to the large number of requests for assistance . Customers mainly include government departments, financial institutions and manufacturing companies that still have websites optimized for Internet Explorer. The end of support has long been known, but many companies and government agencies have delayed taking necessary action, and the resulting chaos is expected to continue for several more months , according to the CEC.

49% market share in Japan

Microsoft officially ended support for Internet Explorer on June 15, after 27 years of browser history. Many users have long turned to alternatives, but many organizations still stick with solutions built for the old browser . On the other hand, 49% of the respondents to the survey conducted in Japan in March stated that they use Internet Explorer for work.

It is noteworthy that the browser is used not only as a means of viewing sites, but also as an auxiliary tool for monitoring employee attendance and working with other internal corporate tools. Some government portals, including a local pension fund resource, state that even in newer browsers online forms must be filled in Internet Explorer mode, and some sources officially recommend the old Microsoft solution as their main browser .

It was once the market leader

Launched in 1995 , the browser once became the world standard for the industry and replaced Netscape , accounting for 65% of the market in 2009. However, in the late 2000s its market share began to decline and is now less than 1% according to StatCounter.

One of the reasons Internet Explorer was shut down is that it does not comply with international standards for web technologies. According to experts, the browser did an inadequate job of rendering JavaScript and other code in alternative programming languages, preventing it from being used with interactive sites. Internet Explorer’s decline coincided with the rise of Google Chrome , which currently dominates the global market with a 65% share .