diff --git a/monasca_agent/common/util.py b/monasca_agent/common/util.py
index 7b397d90..c2350eb1 100644
--- a/monasca_agent/common/util.py
+++ b/monasca_agent/common/util.py
@@ -26,15 +26,6 @@ from numbers import Number
 log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
-# Tornado
-try:
-    from tornado import ioloop
-    from tornado import version_info as tornado_version
-except ImportError:
-    # We are likely running the agent without the forwarder and tornado is not installed
-    # Generate a warning
-    log.warn('Tornado web server is not installed.  Metrics will not be forwarded to the Monasca API!')
-
 VALID_HOSTNAME_RFC_1123_PATTERN = re.compile(
     r"^(([a-zA-Z0-9]|[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9\-]*[a-zA-Z0-9])\.)*([A-Za-z0-9]|[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9\-]*[A-Za-z0-9])$")
 MAX_HOSTNAME_LEN = 255
@@ -279,13 +270,6 @@ def plural(count):
     return "s"
 
 
-def get_tornado_ioloop():
-    if tornado_version[0] == 3:
-        return ioloop.IOLoop.current()
-    else:
-        return ioloop.IOLoop.instance()
-
-
 def get_uuid():
     # Generate a unique name that will stay constant between
     # invocations, such as platform.node() + uuid.getnode()
diff --git a/monasca_agent/forwarder/daemon.py b/monasca_agent/forwarder/daemon.py
index 325d00d7..e8cc27ba 100644
--- a/monasca_agent/forwarder/daemon.py
+++ b/monasca_agent/forwarder/daemon.py
@@ -14,7 +14,6 @@ import sys
 
 # set up logging before importing any other components
 import monasca_agent.common.util as util
-
 util.initialize_logging('forwarder')
 
 import os
@@ -30,7 +29,6 @@ import tornado.web
 
 # agent import
 import monasca_agent.common.config as cfg
-import monasca_agent.common.util as util
 import monasca_agent.forwarder.api.monasca_api as mon
 
 log = logging.getLogger('forwarder')
@@ -69,7 +67,7 @@ class Forwarder(tornado.web.Application):
         self._unflushed_iterations = 0
         self._endpoint = mon.MonascaAPI(agent_config)
 
-        self._ioloop = None
+        self._ioloop = tornado.ioloop.IOLoop.instance()
 
         self._port = int(port)
         self._flush_interval = FLUSH_INTERVAL * 1000
@@ -163,21 +161,16 @@ class Forwarder(tornado.web.Application):
         http_server = tornado.httpserver.HTTPServer(self)
         self._bind_http_server(http_server)
 
-        self._ioloop = util.get_tornado_ioloop()
-
         callback = tornado.ioloop.PeriodicCallback(self.flush,
-                                                   self._flush_interval,
-                                                   io_loop=self._ioloop)
+                                                   self._flush_interval)
 
         callback.start()
 
         self._ioloop.start()
 
-        log.info("Stopped")
-
     def stop(self):
-        if self._ioloop:
-            self._ioloop.stop()
+        self._ioloop.stop()
+        log.info("Stopped")
 
 
 def init_forwarder(skip_ssl_validation=False, use_simple_http_client=False):
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 13c5abea..2dafb97a 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ redis>=2.10.0 # MIT
 six>=1.9.0 # MIT
 supervisor>=3.1.3,<3.4 # BSD-derived
 stevedore>=1.20.0 # Apache-2.0
-tornado>=4.3 # Apache-2.0
+tornado>=4.5.3 # Apache-2.0
 futures>=3.0.0;python_version=='2.7' or python_version=='2.6' # BSD
 # NOTE(sdague): before allowing in >= 0.21 please be sure
 # https://github.com/eventlet/eventlet/issues/401 is resolved