🔗 Share this article Bluefin Tuna Fetches Unprecedented Price of $3.2 million at Tokyo New Year Sale The 'Tuna King' is a prominent presence at the yearly bidding war. A substantial Pacific bluefin tuna made headlines at the Tokyo's Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a unprecedented bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2 million; £2.4m) during the venue's opening auction of the new year. The winning offer for the 243-kilogram fish was submitted by the company of a popular sushi chain, which manages restaurants across the country and overseas. "An inaugural tuna heralds a prosperous start," stated the entrepreneur, a regular figure at the yearly January sale. Dubbed the King of Tuna, this entrepreneur is renowned for submitting record bids for premium bluefin tuna at these auspicious year-opening auctions. Bidding Surprise and Record-Setting Past After the auction, the winner admitted to the press that he was "astonished at the amount," stating, "I believed we would be able to purchase it a little cheaper, but the price escalated before you knew it." This new purchase tops his previous historic purchases: He secured a tuna for 56.5 million yen away in 2012. He paid 155 million yen a year later. In 2019, he acquired a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1 million). Despite previously saying that he thought he "overdid it," he has now managed to shatter his personal record once again. An Annual Spectacle of High Prices The inaugural auction at the Tokyo fish market is notoriously associated with sky-high prices. In the prior year, the initial tuna was bought for 207 million yen by another sushi chain operator, which announced the fish would be served at its locations nationwide. The frenetic energy at the fish market during these pre-dawn auctions has evolved into a major spectacle in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which started around 05:00 local time, was no different. Immediate Consumption The record-priced tuna was quickly processed for diners at the winner's sushi restaurants soon after the auction was finished. "I believe like I've started the year in a positive way after consuming something so lucky as the year begins," remarked one elated diner.
The 'Tuna King' is a prominent presence at the yearly bidding war. A substantial Pacific bluefin tuna made headlines at the Tokyo's Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a unprecedented bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2 million; £2.4m) during the venue's opening auction of the new year. The winning offer for the 243-kilogram fish was submitted by the company of a popular sushi chain, which manages restaurants across the country and overseas. "An inaugural tuna heralds a prosperous start," stated the entrepreneur, a regular figure at the yearly January sale. Dubbed the King of Tuna, this entrepreneur is renowned for submitting record bids for premium bluefin tuna at these auspicious year-opening auctions. Bidding Surprise and Record-Setting Past After the auction, the winner admitted to the press that he was "astonished at the amount," stating, "I believed we would be able to purchase it a little cheaper, but the price escalated before you knew it." This new purchase tops his previous historic purchases: He secured a tuna for 56.5 million yen away in 2012. He paid 155 million yen a year later. In 2019, he acquired a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1 million). Despite previously saying that he thought he "overdid it," he has now managed to shatter his personal record once again. An Annual Spectacle of High Prices The inaugural auction at the Tokyo fish market is notoriously associated with sky-high prices. In the prior year, the initial tuna was bought for 207 million yen by another sushi chain operator, which announced the fish would be served at its locations nationwide. The frenetic energy at the fish market during these pre-dawn auctions has evolved into a major spectacle in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which started around 05:00 local time, was no different. Immediate Consumption The record-priced tuna was quickly processed for diners at the winner's sushi restaurants soon after the auction was finished. "I believe like I've started the year in a positive way after consuming something so lucky as the year begins," remarked one elated diner.