Bluefin Fish Fetches Record Price of $3.2m at Japanese Capital New Year Sale

A bulky Pacific bluefin tuna created waves at the Toyosu fish market this Monday, achieving a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen (3.2 million US dollars; £2.4m) during the market's inaugural auction of the calendar year.

The top offer for the 243kg fish was submitted by the parent firm of a well-known sushi restaurant group, which manages outlets domestically and overseas.

"The year's tuna brings fortune," stated the company president, a regular figure at the annual new year's auction.

Dubbed the Tuna King, this industry figure is noted for submitting record bids for bluefin tuna at these symbolic year-opening auctions.

Bidding Shock and Record-Setting Precedent

Following the auction, the winner admitted to journalists that he was "astonished at the final price," noting, "I believed we would be able to purchase it a little at a lower price, but the price soared before you knew it."

This new purchase tops his own record purchases:

• He paid 56.5 million yen away in 2012.
• He bid 155 million yen a year later.
• In 2019, he acquired a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1m).

Even after previously saying that he thought he "bid too high," he has now gone on to shatter his own record yet again.

An Annual Spectacle of Exorbitant Bids

The first auction at the Tokyo fish market is traditionally characterized by exceptionally high prices. The previous year, the first tuna was purchased for 207 million yen by a separate sushi chain operator, which stated the fish would be served at its restaurants nationwide.

The intense atmosphere at the fish market during these pre-sunrise auctions has become a major event in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which began around 05:00 local time, was no different.

From Auction to Plate

The record-priced tuna was quickly sliced up for diners at the entrepreneur's sushi chains soon after the auction was finished.

"I sense like I've started the year in a positive way after consuming something so auspicious as the year starts," said one happy customer.