An online auction of John Lennon's sunglasses frames, which he gave to his Japanese translator at the end of the Beatles' controversial concerts in Tokyo, is attracting great interest, and organizers hope they fetch as much as $2 million.

Lennon and his Japanese translator built up a good rapport after being holed up in a Tokyo hotel during the 1966 visit due to demonstrations and death threats against the band.

The Beatles were playing five concerts that summer at the Nippon Budokan Hall in central Tokyo and critics felt that playing pop music at the hall, originally designed for martial arts, undermined its status as an important sporting arena. It was the first and last time the famous group performed in Japan.