Pacific Bluefin Fish Sells for Record Bid of $3.2 million at Tokyo New Year Sale

A bulky Pacific bluefin tuna created waves at the Toyosu fish market this Monday, achieving a unprecedented bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2 million; £2.4m) during the market's opening auction of the new year.

The top offer for the 243-kilogram fish was placed by the operator of a well-known sushi restaurant group, which runs outlets across the country and abroad.

"The first tuna heralds a prosperous start," stated the business owner, a notable bidder at the annual January sale.

Referred to as the King of Tuna, this businessman is renowned for making high bids for bluefin tuna at these high-profile January auctions.

Auction Surprise and Historic Past

Following the auction, the winner told journalists that he was "astonished at the winning bid," adding, "I expected we would be able to purchase it a little cheaper, but the price escalated before you knew it."

This most recent acquisition tops his own historic purchases:

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

Even after previously saying that he thought he "overdid it," he has now proceeded to surpass his personal record once again.

An Annual Spectacle of High Prices

The inaugural auction at the Toyosu fish market is typically associated with exorbitant prices. The previous year, the first tuna was acquired for 207 million yen by a separate food company, which indicated the fish would be available at its locations nationwide.

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

Swift Service

The record-priced tuna was quickly processed for customers at the entrepreneur's sushi chains shortly after the auction was finished.

"I sense like I've started the year in a auspicious way after eating something so fortune-bringing as the year begins," said one elated customer.