Pacific Bluefin Fish Sells for Historic Sum of 3.2 million dollars at Tokyo Auction

A bulky Pacific bluefin tuna created waves at the Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a record-breaking bid of 510.3 million yen (3.2 million US dollars; £2.4m) during the venue's opening auction of the year.

The top bid for the 243-kilogram fish came from the company of a well-known sushi restaurant group, which operates outlets domestically and abroad.

"The first tuna heralds fortune," stated the company president, a familiar participant at the traditional new year's auction.

Known as the King of Tuna, this entrepreneur is renowned for placing record bids for premium bluefin tuna at these symbolic January auctions.

Auction Surprise and Historic Precedent

After the auction, the successful bidder informed reporters that he was "astonished at the winning bid," noting, "I expected we would be able to purchase it a little at a lower price, but the price escalated before you knew it."

This most recent acquisition tops his previous historic 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 dollars).

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

An Annual Spectacle of Exorbitant Bids

The inaugural auction at the Toyosu fish market is typically known for exorbitant prices. In the prior year, the initial tuna was purchased for 207 million yen by a different food company, which announced the fish would be featured at its restaurants throughout the country.

The intense activity at the fish market during these pre-sunrise auctions has evolved into a major tourist attraction in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which started around 05:00 local time, was equally bustling.

Immediate Consumption

The extremely valuable tuna was promptly sliced up for patrons at the entrepreneur's sushi establishments shortly after the auction ended.

"I feel like I've started the year in a good way after consuming something so fortune-bringing as the year begins," said one happy patron.