🔗 Share this article Bluefin Tuna Sells for Unprecedented Sum of $3.2 million at Tokyo Auction The 'Tuna King' is a regular participant at the annual event. A substantial bluefin tuna created waves at the Tokyo's Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2m; £2.4m) during the venue's opening auction of the year. The winning offer for the 243-kilogram fish was submitted by the company of a nationwide sushi restaurant group, which operates outlets throughout Japan and abroad. "The first tuna brings good luck," stated the entrepreneur, a familiar bidder at the yearly new year's auction. Known as the King of Tuna, this businessman is famous for placing substantial bids for premium bluefin tuna at these high-profile January auctions. Auction Shock and Historic Precedent Following the auction, the successful bidder told journalists that he was "surprised at the final price," adding, "I believed we would be able to buy it a little cheaper, but the price soared rapidly." This new acquisition exceeds his own record purchases: He bid 56.5 million yen away in 2012. He spent 155 million yen the following year. In 2019, he purchased a tuna for 333.6 million yen (2.1 million dollars). Even after once saying that he thought he "bid too high," he has now gone on to break his personal record another time. An Annual Spectacle of High Prices The opening auction at the Toyosu fish market is notoriously associated with exorbitant prices. Last year, the first tuna was bought for 207 million yen by another culinary group, which stated the fish would be served at its locations nationwide. The frenetic energy at the fish market during these pre-dawn auctions has transformed into a major event in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which began around 05:00 local time, was no exception. From Auction to Plate The record-priced tuna was shortly thereafter sliced up for customers at the bidder's sushi restaurants immediately after the auction was finished. "I sense like I've begun the year in a auspicious way after eating something so auspicious as the year gets underway," remarked one satisfied customer.
The 'Tuna King' is a regular participant at the annual event. A substantial bluefin tuna created waves at the Tokyo's Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2m; £2.4m) during the venue's opening auction of the year. The winning offer for the 243-kilogram fish was submitted by the company of a nationwide sushi restaurant group, which operates outlets throughout Japan and abroad. "The first tuna brings good luck," stated the entrepreneur, a familiar bidder at the yearly new year's auction. Known as the King of Tuna, this businessman is famous for placing substantial bids for premium bluefin tuna at these high-profile January auctions. Auction Shock and Historic Precedent Following the auction, the successful bidder told journalists that he was "surprised at the final price," adding, "I believed we would be able to buy it a little cheaper, but the price soared rapidly." This new acquisition exceeds his own record purchases: He bid 56.5 million yen away in 2012. He spent 155 million yen the following year. In 2019, he purchased a tuna for 333.6 million yen (2.1 million dollars). Even after once saying that he thought he "bid too high," he has now gone on to break his personal record another time. An Annual Spectacle of High Prices The opening auction at the Toyosu fish market is notoriously associated with exorbitant prices. Last year, the first tuna was bought for 207 million yen by another culinary group, which stated the fish would be served at its locations nationwide. The frenetic energy at the fish market during these pre-dawn auctions has transformed into a major event in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which began around 05:00 local time, was no exception. From Auction to Plate The record-priced tuna was shortly thereafter sliced up for customers at the bidder's sushi restaurants immediately after the auction was finished. "I sense like I've begun the year in a auspicious way after eating something so auspicious as the year gets underway," remarked one satisfied customer.