Fans bidding in a charity online auction to buy a teacup used once by pop diva Lady Gaga had offered more than four million yen ($50,000) by Tuesday, with five days left before the hammer falls.
The china cup and saucer set was used by the star at a press conference in
Tokyo three months after the massive tsunami of March last year swamped a large stretch of coastline.
Lady Gaga told reporters at the time that she would auction the cup, marked
with her lipstick and bearing the Japanese message "We pray for Japan" along with the star's autograph.
All the money raised will be used to help young Japanese artists who want to study in the United States.
The cup was put on "Yahoo! Japan Auctions" at midday Monday, with the starting price of one yen. The auction is set to finish at 1400 GMT Sunday.
By Tuesday morning, more than 500 bids had been placed, with the top offer
at more than 4.1 million yen. The auction can be followed athttp://page3.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/jp/auction/c323847712
The quake-tsunami catastrophe killed some 19,000 people on Japan's northeast coast and sparked the world's worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, leading to a plunge in visitors to the country.
The songstress visited Japan twice after the disaster and called on tourists from around the world to follow suit.
She is due back in Japan next week as part of an Asian tour. (AFP)
<한글 기사>
가가의 키스마크, 천문학적 가격에 팔려!
팝 디바 레이디 가가가 경매에 올려놓은 찻잔이 현재까지 최고가 5만 달러(약 5,600만원)를 넘어섰다.
지난해 3월 일본을 휩쓸었던 쓰나미 참사 후 도쿄를 방문한 가가는 기자 간담회에서 이 찻잔 세트를 경매에 붙일 것이라고 말하고 립스틱으로 입술 자국을 남기고 "일본을 위해 기도한다.”라는 문구를 적었다.
경매로 모금된 성금은 미국에서 공부하고자 하는 젊은 일본 아티스트를 위해 쓰이게 된다.
지난 월요일 정오 ‘야후 일본’을 통해 시작된 이 경매는 일요일까지 계속된다.
가가는 다음주 아시아 투어를 위해 일본을 방문한다.
