Mohan Sinha
24 Feb 2026, 15:21 GMT+10
TOKYO, Japan: An anonymous donor gifted gold bars to the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau worth 560 million yen (US$3.6 million) and told them to fix the city's dilapidated water pipes.
Mayor Hideyuki Yokoyama told reporters this week that the gold bars weighed 21 kilograms (46 pounds).
The mayor said his city would respect the donor's wishes and use the gift to improve waterworks projects.
Worries about the safety of Osaka's water systems increased after a huge sinkhole swallowed a truck and killed the driver last year. The incident was linked to a broken sewer pipe in Saitama, north of Tokyo.
In the fiscal year ending in March 2025, Osaka recorded 92 water pipe leaks under city roads, according to the city's waterworks official Eiji Kotani on February 20.
Osaka has a population of 2.8 million and is Japan's third-largest city. It serves as the main city in western Japan.
Most of Japan's major public infrastructure was built during the country's fast economic growth after World War II.
Kotani said Osaka began developing earlier than many other cities because it is a major business center. As a result, its water pipes and other systems are also aging sooner.
He said Osaka needs to replace 259 kilometers (160 miles) of water pipes. Replacing just a two-kilometer (1.2-mile) section would cost about 500 million yen (around $3.2 million).
Get a daily dose of Dublin News news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Dublin News.
More InformationTOKYO, Japan: An anonymous donor gifted gold bars to the Osaka City Waterworks Bureau worth 560 million yen (US$3.6 million) and told...
TOKYO, Japan: Japan's centuries-old kimono is finding renewed relevance in an era focused on sustainability, as designers and artisans...
NEW YORK, New York - Wall Street endured a sharp sell-off on Monday as jubilation over a Supreme Court decision striking down a core...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft announced that Phil Spencer is retiring after 38 years at the company, stepping down as head of its...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. investors are withdrawing money from domestic equities at the fastest pace in at least 16 years, as fading...
DETROIT, Michigan: Workers at Volkswagen's Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant have overwhelmingly approved their first contract with the...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Striking out proceedings related to the dispute between teacher Enoch Burke and the Wilson's Hospital School, a judge...
MILAN/FRANKFURT/LONDON/PARIS: The U.S. Supreme Court ruling against President Donald Trump's trade tariffs comes with a sting in the...
DUBLIN, Ireland: An Indian computer science graduate was arrested by the Dublin Airport police for assaulting a Dublin Airport police...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. investors are withdrawing money from domestic equities at the fastest pace in at least 16 years, as fading...
BRUSSELS, Belgium: Europe is increasingly looking to Chinese and Indian travellers to sustain tourism growth, as signs emerge of a...
DUBLIN, Ireland: Aer Lingus will extend its current 10kg carry-on baggage policy across all regional flights operated by Emerald Airlines,...
