Pacific Bluefin Tuna Fetches Historic Bid of 3.2 million dollars at Tokyo Auction

A large bluefin tuna on display at a fish market auction — The 'Tuna King' is a regular participant at the annual event.

A massive bluefin tuna made headlines at the Tokyo's Toyosu fish market this Monday, garnering a unprecedented bid of 510.3 million yen (3.2 million US dollars; £2.4m) during the market's inaugural auction of the calendar year.

The successful offer for the 243kg fish was submitted by the operator of a well-known sushi chain, which operates outlets across the country and abroad.

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

Dubbed the King of Tuna, this businessman is noted for making record bids for bluefin tuna at these auspicious new year auctions.

Auction Shock and Record-Setting Precedent

After the auction, the winner told reporters that he was "surprised at the winning bid," stating, "I believed we would be able to buy it a little cheaper, but the price escalated before you knew it."

This new acquisition tops his own record purchases:

He secured a tuna for 56.5 million yen back in 2012.
He paid 155 million yen the following year.
In 2019, he won a tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1m).

Even after previously commenting that he thought he "bid too high," he has now proceeded to break his own record another time.

A Tradition of High Prices

The first auction at the Tokyo fish market is typically associated with sky-high prices. The previous year, the initial tuna was purchased for 207 million yen by another culinary group, which announced the fish would be featured at its eateries throughout the country.

The frenetic atmosphere at the fish market during these pre-sunrise auctions has evolved into a must-see event in Tokyo. Monday's auction, which began around 05:00 local time, was no different.

Swift Service

The extremely valuable tuna was shortly thereafter processed for customers at the entrepreneur's sushi chains immediately after the auction concluded.