Man anonymously donates life savings worth Dh2 million to city

Tokyo - The man appeared to be in his 70s or 80s and declined to give his name, saying he wanted to stay anonymous.

An elderly Japanese man has anonymously donated his life's savings -- in cash -- to a city outside of Tokyo, an unexpected financial windfall as the economy reels from the fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

The man, who did not identify himself, appeared at city hall in Yokosuka on Monday and asked that a backpack with a letter inside be given to the mayor, the official who met him told AFP.

"We found 60 million yen (Dh2,023,283) in cash inside and a letter saying 'This is the money I've been saving since the first grade. Please make use of it. It's a donation,"said the official.

The man appeared to be in his 70s or 80s and declined to give his name, saying he wanted to stay anonymous.

"We've never received such a big donation from an anonymous person," the official added.

Mayor Katsuaki Kamiji said in a statement he was "surprised and moved" by the donation, particularly during the hardship of the pandemic.