Lady Gaga TOMODACHI Auction to Support Artists

April 30, 2012 – Just ten weeks after the devastating earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster that hit Japan in March 2011, Lady Gaga arrived in Tokyo. In an MTV Video Music Aid Japan-sponsored press event with U.S. Ambassador to Japan John V. Roos on June 23, 2011, she sipped from a ceramic teacup with the phrase “We pray for Japan” written in Japanese across the front. She spoke with the Ambassador and the media about her love for Japan and her desire to support and encourage the Japanese people. During the event she announced her intention to auction the teacup to help Japan.

Now, Lady Gaga is returning to Japan to keep her word. She will remind the world that Japan – particularly the younger generation – still needs our help. In addition to performing a concert, Lady Gaga will turn the words expressed on the teacup into action by auctioning off the cup on Yahoo! Japan Auctions starting April 30 at noon until May 6 at 11 p.m. 

The winning bidder will not only receive the teacup, but will contribute to a greater cause. After the completion of the auction, 100 percent of the funds generated will go to the TOMODACHI Arts Fellowship Program, which will be executed in partnership with an implementing organization.

The TOMODACHI Arts Fellowship Program will enable Japanese university students and young people the opportunity to pursue their artistic dreams by joining one-year programs at specialized institutes in the United States in areas such as music, art, film, dance, song, theater, fashion, design, and digital media among others. It is part of TOMODACHI, a public-private partnership that supports Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, and invests in the next generation of Japanese and Americans in ways that strengthen cultural and economic ties, and deepen the friendship between the United States and Japan over the long-term.

A joint U.S.- Japan initiative, TOMODACHI is led by the United States Government and the U.S.-Japan Council, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and is supported by the Japanese Government as well as corporations, organizations, and individuals from the United States and Japan. For more information, visit http://usjapantomodachi.org.

Media inquiries regarding TOMODACHI should be directed to the Press Office of the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. Media inquiries regarding Lady Gaga should be directed to Universal Music International.