TOKYO — A massive Pacific bluefin tuna weighing 243 kilograms (535 pounds) sold for a record 510 million yen, or about $3.2 million, at the first auction of 2026 held Monday at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market.
The winning bid came from Kiyomura Corp., operator of the popular Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain, led by owner Kiyoshi Kimura. The purchase shattered the previous auction record of 334 million yen ($2.1 million), also set by Kimura in 2019.
Speaking to reporters after the predawn auction, Kimura said he had hoped to secure the tuna at a lower price but was quickly outpaced as bidding intensified. “The price shot up before you knew it,” he said.
The highly anticipated auction began with the ringing of a bell, signaling bidders to inspect rows of torpedo-shaped tuna laid across the market floor. The fish, with tails partially cut, were examined closely for meat quality, including color, texture, and fat content.
The record-setting tuna was caught off the coast of Oma in northern Japan, a region renowned for producing some of the country’s finest bluefin tuna. The fish fetched roughly 2.1 million yen ($13,360) per kilogram, or about $6,060 per pound.
Kimura said the purchase was partly symbolic. “It’s in part for good luck,” he said, adding that the tuna’s appearance made it irresistible. “I haven’t sampled it yet, but it’s got to be delicious.”
While hundreds of tuna are traded daily at Toyosu’s early-morning auctions, prices at the traditional New Year sale are typically far higher, particularly for premium catches from Oma.
Pacific bluefin tuna, a staple of sushi and sashimi, was previously classified as a threatened species due to overfishing and climate pressures. Stocks, however, have shown signs of recovery in recent years following international conservation and management efforts.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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