Gold Bars Worth ¥500 Million Donated to Japanese Village

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:30 JST, February 9, 2023

TANOHATA, Iwate — The village of Tanohata, Iwate Prefecture, said Wednesday it has received a donation of 120 gold bars worth ¥500 million from a person who requested anonymity.

The donor, whose hometown is also being withheld according to their wishes, reportedly asked the local government to use the bars for the benefit of the village.

The gold bars weighing 60 kilograms in total were converted into cash amounting to ¥528.24 million, and the entire amount was placed in the village’s fiscal adjustment fund.

The village has a population of about 3,000, and an initial budget of ¥3.38 billion in terms of general accounts for this fiscal year. The ¥528.24 million windfall is equivalent to about one-sixth of that amount.

According to the village, the person offered a donation to Mayor Yasushi Sasaki during a meeting they had last year. The village received the gold bars on Jan. 30 and cashed them in at a precious metals shop in Tokyo.

Mitsuyuki Kudo, head of the village’s general affairs section, said the gold bars were “in a noble, subdued color.”

“And they were heavy. We are grateful for the donation in these difficult financial circumstances. We would like to use the contribution carefully to solve the village’s problems.”