JAKARTA - A bluefin tuna sold for a record 510.3 million yen ($4.5 million) at Tokyo's Toyosu fish market in the first auction of the year on Monday, with a sushi restaurant operator spending big on the fish hoping customers would be impressed by the purchase.
The 243-kilogram tuna, which was caught off the coast of Oma, in the northeastern Aomori Prefecture, was purchased by Kiyomura Corp., operator of the Tokyo-based sushi restaurant chain Sushizanmai.
"The first tuna this year brings good luck. We hope as many people as possible can enjoy it and feel excited," said President Kiyomura, Kiyoshi Kimura, launching Kyodo News on January 5.
The tuna will be cut at Sushizanmai's headquarters in Tsukiji and distributed to its restaurants across the country. Despite the record expenditure, the company said it would sell the tuna to customers at regular prices.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan government, this year's highest bid is the highest since comparable data became available in 1999.
This figure is much higher than the previous record of 333.6 million yen obtained in 2019, during the first New Year's auction at Toyosu after the relocation of the iconic Tsukiji fish market.
The auction on Monday, which started at 5:10 am with a variety of tuna on display and bidders and sellers engaged in a lively exchange, also attracted many foreign tourists who came to witness the annual event.
To note, it has become customary for bidders to spend a lot of money on the first auction this year, which is considered a source of luck and an opportunity for restaurants to take advantage of marketing opportunities.
The price of tuna auctions has gradually recovered in recent years after being hit by the corona virus pandemic, with the highest price only 36.0 million yen in 2023, 114.2 million yen in 2024 and 207.0 million yen in 2025.
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