Osaka has received an anonymous donation of 21kg of gold bars, valued at 560 million yen (£2.7 million), to be used specifically for repairing the city's ageing water pipes. Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama announced the gift on Thursday, expressing astonishment at the donation's magnitude.
“It’s a staggering amount and I was speechless,” Yokoyama said. “Tackling ageing water pipes requires a huge investment, and I cannot thank enough for the donation.” The mayor confirmed the city would respect the donor's wishes and allocate the funds to waterworks projects.
Osaka, Japan's third-largest city with 2.8 million residents, faces significant infrastructure challenges. Much of its water pipe network, built during the postwar economic boom, is ageing faster than in other cities due to earlier urban development. City waterworks official Eiji Kotani noted that Osaka needs to renew 260km (160 miles) of water pipes, with a 1.2-mile segment costing around 500 million yen.
In the fiscal year ending March 2025, Osaka recorded 92 water pipe leaks under city roads. Concerns over water infrastructure safety have heightened after a truck fell into a sinkhole last year, linked to a damaged sewer in Saitama, north of Tokyo, resulting in the driver's death.
