An elderly man has generously donated his life savings in cash to his financially hard-hit city council.

The pensioner showed up with a backpack full of wads of cash at the mayor’s office in Yokosuka, a city outside of Tokyo, at about 2:15 pm on Monday.

He asked that officials pass on his bag which he said contained a letter to the mayor. But to their surprise, they found 60 million yen (almost £40,000) in cash inside.

A council official who met the man said: “We found 60 million yen ($550,850) in cash inside and a letter saying: “This is the money I’ve been saving since primary school.

“Please make use of it. It’s a donation”.

The man was thought to be in his 70s or 80s and declined to give his name, saying he wished to remain anonymous.

Mayor Katsuaki Kamij said he was ‘surprised and moved’ by the grand gesture particularly at a time when many are struggling amid the pandemic.

“We’ve never received such a big donation from an anonymous person,” he said.

“I’m speechless and full of gratitude.”

He added: “Though this is a bit of a dark world at present, I deeply felt a deep sense of compassion.

“I want to think carefully about how to use (the money) for the benefit of society.’

It is not the first time a council in Japan has received a large sum of money from an anonymous donor.

Last year, a man walked into Nara city hall and donated a bag full of 30 million yen (almost £200,000) in cash, with a note saying he wanted it to be used to help the poor and fund education.

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