Lady Gaga has raised $250,000 in 48 hours for victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan by selling plastic wristbands that say "We pray for Japan," the pop superstar tweeted today.

"Monsters: in just 48 hrs you've raised a quarter of a million dollars for Japan Relief," Gaga said on Twitter.

"It's important we help."

Gaga launched the white wristbands with their prayerful message written in red in English and Japanese, via a Twitter message on Monday, three days after a 9.0-magnitude quake struck off the coast of northeastern Japan, triggering a killer tsunami.

The wristbands are available for $5 and can be pre-ordered on Gaga's official online store.

All proceeds will go directly to Japan relief efforts, according to the site.

The site does not say if the singer has designated a specific charity to receive the funds or if she will set up her own, but on her official Facebook page, Gaga has posted a link to a fundraising site for Save the Children's Japan relief effort.

Gaga has more than 30 million fans on Facebook and in excess of eight million followers on Twitter.

If each of her Twitter followers were to buy a wristband, the award-winning singer will help raise more than $40 million for victims of the quake and tsunami in Japan, which have claimed more than 4,200 lives so far, with more than 8,000 still missing.