Anonymous donor gifts 21kg gold to repair Osaka's aging water pipes

An anonymous donor stunned the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau after gifting gold bars worth 560 million yen to repair and upgrade the city’s aging water pipes.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the city’s Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama said that he was left speechless by the hefty gift of gold bars, weighing 21 kilograms.

He added, “It’s a staggering amount. Tackling aging water pipes requires a huge investment, and I cannot thank them enough for the donation.”

The city administration said the gift would be used according to the wishes of the donor, adding that it would help improve waterworks projects.”

Osaka’s deteriorating waterworks system has been under increased scrutiny since last year, when a damaged sewer in Saitama, north of Tokyo, caused a massive sinkhole that swallowed a truck, killing the driver.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Osaka’s waterworks official Eiji Kotani said 92 cases of water pipe leaks under city roads were reported last fiscal year, which ended in March 2025.

Kotani said Osaka needs to renew a total of 259 kilometers (160 miles) of water pipes, he said. Renewing a 2-kilometer (1.2 mile) segment of water pipes would cost about 500 million yen ($3.2 million)

Osaka is Japan’s third largest city and much of its public infrastructure dates back to the post-World War II era.