Hello and welcome to today’s news from Japan Daily News on December 30th, 2023. In today’s news, an elderly man was found dead on the streets of Edogawa Ward in Tokyo. The police suspect it was a hit-and-run incident and are currently investigating. Moving on to our next story, the cremation wait in Chiba City has worsened during the winter season. To address this issue, the crematorium has started conducting cremations on holidays, including ‘Tomobiki’ day. Now, let’s turn our attention to Kagoshima, where a ferry caught fire off the coast of Akaishima. Fortunately, all 29 passengers and crew members were able to escape safely and the fire has been extinguished. In other news, support activities to assist people in need during the year-end and New Year period are ongoing in Tokyo. These activities include distributing boxed lunches and daily necessities. As we enter the first year-end and New Year period after the transition to COVID-19 Alert Level 5, airports, bullet trains, and highways are experiencing congestion due to the influx of families and travelers. Finally, while many medical institutions are closed during this holiday season, hospitals in Tokyo that continue to provide medical services for fever and emergency patients are seeing a high number of visitors. In a separate news story, the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors’ Office has conducted searches at the local office and residence of Yasumasa Ono, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, in relation to a political funding party scandal. The investigation is ongoing, and further details are yet to be revealed. And now for the weather. The weather in Tokyo today is sunny with a high of 25 degrees Celsius and a low of 18 degrees Celsius. Visit JapanDailyNews.com for the news, yen exchange rates, and a daily Japanese proverb.