Mysterious donor donates 21 kg of gold to repair Japan’s ailing water system

Osaka, Japan, is one of the country's commercial centers. The city is home to at least 3 million people. Despite being the country's third largest city, its water and sewage systems are completely ailing. There have been at least 90 leaks in the 2024 fiscal year alone. This situation has been a major source of suffering for the city's residents for a long time.

A man donated a huge amount of money to help the city's authorities repair the system. He donated 21 kg of gold bars without revealing his name. The current value of the gold he gave in the country's market is $3.6 million, or 447.31 million taka (1 dollar equals 122.43 taka).

On Thursday (February 19), the Osaka city authorities said that they have received a large donation to repair the old water supply system. The amount is 21 kg of gold bars. Osaka City Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama gave this information at a press conference.

Yokoyama said the gold bars, worth an estimated 560 million yen (about $3.6 million), were donated by a person in November last year. He asked not to be named.

Like many cities in the country, Osaka has aging water and sewage pipes, which locals see as a safety concern.

According to the city's water supply bureau, more than 90 pipe leaks occurred under Osaka's streets in fiscal 2024. "Repairing old water pipes requires a large investment, so I have no words to express my gratitude," Mayor Yokoyama told reporters on Thursday about the gold donation.

Describing the size of the donation as surprising, Yokoyama said he was stunned. The mysterious donor had previously donated 500,000 yen in cash to the city's water supply.

The Osaka City Water Supply Bureau said in a statement on Thursday that it was grateful for the donation. It will be used to repair dilapidated pipes. According to local media, more than 20 percent of Japan's water pipes are over 40 years old. This is why sinkholes are common in cities.

BBC News.