High-profile Japanese cosmetic surgeon Katsuya Takasu won an auction for the only-known World War II memoirs of Emperor Hirohito, besting the competition with a bid of $275,000 (¥30 million) in New York on Wednesday.
The price was nearly double the higher end of pre-auction estimates, which ranged from $100,000 to $150,000, according to auction house Bonhams.
Takasu is widely known in Japan because he has sponsored a number of TV programs for years and is featured in commercials aired almost every day.