A single bluefin tuna stole the spotlight at Tokyo’s New Year fish auction, selling for an eye-watering price that set a new record.
A Historic Sale at Toyosu
At the first auction of 2026 at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna sold for 510 million yen, roughly €2.78 million. The winning bid came from Kiyomura Corp., owned by Kiyoshi Kimura, the founder of the well-known Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain.
Kimura, a veteran of these annual auctions, broke his own 2019 record of 334 million yen. Speaking afterward, he admitted he had hoped to pay less but said the price “shot up before you knew it.”
The Allure of Oma Tuna
The prized fish was caught off the coast of Oma in northern Japan, a region celebrated for producing some of the country’s finest bluefin. Oma tuna is prized for its rich flavor, balanced fat, and firm texture, earning it top marks among chefs and sushi aficionados.
During the auction, buyers examined rows of torpedo-shaped tuna with their tails cut off to inspect meat color, texture, and fattiness. The winning tuna came in at about 2.1 million yen (€11,500) per kilogram. Kimura explained that part of the purchase was tradition, meant to bring good luck, but he also admitted he could not resist such a remarkable fish.
Tradition Meets Conservation
While hundreds of tuna are sold at Toyosu daily, New Year auctions are special, often drawing higher prices for exceptional catches. Pacific bluefin tuna, once considered threatened due to overfishing and climate change, have seen stocks slowly recover thanks to conservation measures. This recovery has allowed top-quality fish like the Oma bluefin to continue to dominate auctions and delight sushi lovers around the world.
