How to remove Japanese IME on Windows 11

Cannot be deleted with standard settings

A common way to remove an IME is to go to "Settings > Time & language > Language & region > Japanese ... > Options" and delete the language keyboard, but the remove button is grayed out and the Japanese IME cannot be deleted. I've forgotten to take screenshots as usual, so there are few images.

I don't know the exact reason, but there might be a constraint requiring at least one keyboard that can be used for Japanese.

Install Google Japanese Input

https://www.google.co.jp/ime/

First, install Google Japanese Input to increase the number of Japanese keyboards to two. As expected, the "Remove" button for the Microsoft Japanese IME became active, so I deleted it. However, also as expected, the "Remove" button for Google Japanese Input then became grayed out.

But since Google Japanese Input is third-party software, it can be uninstalled. By uninstalling it from the app list in settings and restarting, you finally have a Windows environment that cannot type Japanese.

Why I did this

Currently, I use a US keyboard even on Windows, but switching between Japanese and English input is difficult unlike on a Mac. I used PowerToys to toggle with Caps Lock, but the Japanese IME would occasionally trigger accidentally during games, which was frustrating. So, I decided it would be better to just get rid of the Japanese input altogether.

By the way, even if you turn off the PowerToys setting, the Win+Space shortcut still toggles the IME, so I wanted to prevent the possibility of accidental triggers no matter what. Also, it was just for a change of pace.

Come to think of it, I feel like I've seen tools that lock keys only during games...