Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on December 20th, 2023. In today’s news, a group of bereaved families has submitted a request to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare to establish a committee to review the Medical Accident Investigation System. The system, which obliges medical institutions where fatal medical accidents occur to investigate the causes, is being called for revision. Moving on, the annual music sales rankings have been announced, and ‘King & Prince’ has claimed the top spot for both singles and albums. The group has dominated the charts throughout the year. Shifting gears, in relation to the investigation into political funding parties within the factions of the Liberal Democratic Party, it has been revealed that several members from both the Abe and Nikai factions have not contributed the excess income from party sales beyond the quota to their respective factions. This raises suspicions that these party incomes have not been reported in the financial statements of the factions or the members. The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office’s Special Investigation Department is currently investigating the details. Now, turning to the weather, the strongest cold air of the winter is expected to bring heavy snow to the Sea of Japan side of western and northern Japan from the 21st to the 22nd. Please stay updated with the latest weather information, especially in western Japan where there is a possibility of heavy snowfall. In other news, the annual year-end cleaning has taken place at the ‘Whale Museum’ in Taiji, Wakayama. The cleaning involved removing dirt from the large model of a sperm whale on display. Additionally, in the freezing cold of Hokkaido’s Ikeda Town, the harvest of frozen grapes for ‘Ice Wine’ production has taken place. Finally, to celebrate the upcoming zodiac sign of ‘Tatsu’ (Dragon) in the coming year, an exhibition showcasing rare fish related to the dragon theme has begun at the Nagoya Port Aquarium. And now for the weather. Today in Tokyo, the weather will be partly cloudy with a high of 12°C and a low of 8°C. There is a 66% chance of rain. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.