SENDAI--A teacup and saucer that "Born This Way" singer Lady Gaga autographed and auctioned to raise money for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan finally have a permanent home.
SENDAI--A teacup and saucer that "Born This Way" singer Lady Gaga autographed and auctioned to raise money for victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan finally have a permanent home.Dentist Akihisa Yumi purchased the set with a bid of around 6 million yen ($64,000).Now in declining health, Yumi, 54, donated the items to Miyagi Prefecture on Feb. 20, saying he hoped the items would spur people to visit this disaster-stricken prefecture and "not forget" what transpired here two years ago.Yumi is battling lung disease that has left him incapacitated. Before he fell ill, he helped to identify victims of the calamity through their dental records.Yumi was hospitalized in nearby Osaki in January and now relies on an oxygen tank to breathe and is unable to speak.He had asked his sister to present the cup and saucer to Governor Yoshihiro Murai in the hope they would serve as symbols of the tragedy that befell northeastern Japan and claimed an estimated 20,000 lives.Lady Gaga drank out of the cup and auctioned it in 2011 after autographing it and signing the message "Nihon no tame ni inori o" (Pray for Japan) during her Japan tour soon after the disaster.Yumi's sister, Koto Cho, 52, presented the cup and saucer to the governor on her brother's behalf, saying, "I hope people will be touched by Lady Gaga's and my brother's love for the disaster-stricken areas."Murai promised to use the gift "effectively" to "encourage as many people as possible."Officials said they are considering putting the items on display at a memorial park to be built in one of the city's hardest-hit areas.