Pacific Bluefin Tuna Sells for Record Bid of $3.2m at Tokyo Auction

A massive bluefin tuna made headlines at the Toyosu fish market this Monday, securing a historic bid of 510.3 million yen ($3.2 million; £2.4m) during the venue's inaugural auction of the year.

The successful bid for the 243kg fish was placed by the parent firm of a popular sushi chain, which manages locations domestically and overseas.

"The year's tuna heralds good luck," remarked the company president, a notable bidder at the traditional new year's auction.

Referred to as the Tuna King, this businessman is famous for submitting high bids for premium bluefin tuna at these auspicious new year 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 buy it a little at a lower price, but the price escalated before you knew it."

This latest acquisition tops his previous record purchases:

• He secured a tuna for 56.5 million yen back in 2012.
• He bid 155 million yen in 2013.
• In 2019, he won a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1 million).

Despite once commenting that he thought he "did too much," he has now proceeded to surpass his personal record another time.

An Annual Spectacle of High Prices

The opening auction at the Toyosu fish market is notoriously characterized by exceptionally high prices. In the prior year, the first tuna was acquired for 207 million yen by another sushi chain operator, which indicated the fish would be featured at its eateries across Japan.

The frenetic energy at the fish market during these pre-dawn auctions has become a must-see spectacle in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which began around 05:00 local time, was equally bustling.

Swift Service

The record-priced tuna was shortly thereafter processed for diners at the bidder's sushi restaurants shortly after the auction was finished.

"I believe like I've begun the year in a auspicious way after consuming something so fortune-bringing as the year starts," said one elated patron.