Bluefin Fish Commands Record Price of $3.2 million at Tokyo Auction

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

The successful offer for the 535-pound fish was placed by the operator of a well-known sushi chain, which operates outlets domestically and internationally.

"An inaugural tuna heralds fortune," commented the company president, a familiar figure at the annual first sale.

Known as the King of Tuna, this entrepreneur is noted for placing record bids for bluefin tuna at these symbolic new year auctions.

Auction Shock and Record-Setting Precedent

Following the auction, the winner informed reporters that he was "surprised at the final price," stating, "I had thought we would be able to purchase it a little for less, but the price skyrocketed in no time."

This new purchase exceeds his previous record purchases:

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

Even after once saying that he thought he "bid too high," he has now gone on to surpass his own record another time.

A Tradition of Exorbitant Bids

The inaugural auction at the Tokyo fish market is traditionally characterized by exceptionally high prices. In the prior year, the first tuna was purchased for 207 million yen by a different culinary group, which announced the fish would be featured at its locations nationwide.

The intense activity at the fish market during these pre-dawn auctions has become a major spectacle in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which started around 05:00 local time, was no different.

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The multi-million-dollar tuna was quickly sliced up for diners at the entrepreneur's sushi establishments soon after the auction was finished.

"I feel like I've commenced the year in a positive way after consuming something so fortune-bringing as the year begins," remarked one happy diner.