Bluefin Tuna Commands Record Sum of $3.2m at Tokyo Auction

A massive bluefin tuna made headlines 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 opening auction of the calendar year.

The successful offer for the 243-kilogram fish was placed by the parent firm of a well-known sushi restaurant group, which runs outlets throughout Japan and overseas.

"An inaugural tuna signals fortune," commented the business owner, a familiar figure at the traditional new year's auction.

Dubbed the Tuna Tycoon, this entrepreneur is famous for submitting substantial bids for bluefin tuna at these symbolic year-opening auctions.

Auction Shock and Record-Setting Precedent

After the auction, the winner told the press that he was "surprised at the final price," stating, "I expected we would be able to buy it a little cheaper, but the price skyrocketed before you knew it."

This latest purchase tops his own historic purchases:

• He secured a tuna for 56.5 million yen back in 2012.
• He paid 155 million yen in 2013.
• In 2019, he purchased a tuna for 333.6 million yen (2.1 million dollars).

Even after once commenting that he thought he "bid too high," he has now proceeded to break his own record once again.

A Tradition of Exorbitant Bids

The inaugural auction at the Toyosu fish market is notoriously known for exorbitant prices. In the prior year, the first tuna was acquired for 207 million yen by a different culinary group, which stated the fish would be featured at its locations nationwide.

The intense activity at the fish market during these pre-dawn auctions has become a popular spectacle in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which commenced around 05:00 local time, was equally bustling.

From Auction to Plate

The extremely valuable tuna was promptly prepared for patrons at the bidder's sushi establishments immediately after the auction was finished.

"I sense like I've begun the year in a good way after consuming something so auspicious as the year begins," shared one elated patron.