Tokyo [Japan], January 6 (ANI): A bluefin tuna on Monday was bought for a report 510.3 million Japanese Yen (JPY), about USD 3.2 million, on the first public sale of the yr at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, Kyodo News reported.
According to Kyodo News, the bluefin tuna, one of the fascinating fish for Japan’s iconic dish, Sushi, weighed 243 kg and was caught off the coast of Oma in Aomori Prefecture within the Tohoku area.
The fish was bought by Kiyomura Corporation, a Tokyo-based operator of the favored sushi restaurant chain Sushizanmai.
Calling the New Year’s first tuna an emblem of excellent fortune, Kiyomura President Kiyoshi Kimura mentioned the corporate hopes clients will benefit from the fish and really feel energised, as reported by Kyodo News.
‘The yr’s first tuna brings good luck. We hope as many individuals as potential can get pleasure from it and really feel energised,’ Kimura said, as quoted by Kyodo News.
The tuna shall be lower at Sushizanmai’s Tsukiji head department and distributed to its retailers throughout Japan.
Despite the record-breaking worth, the corporate mentioned it can serve the tuna to clients at common menu charges, Kyodo News reported.
According to the Tokyo metropolitan authorities, this was the best profitable bid since comparable information started in 1999.
The worth far exceeded the earlier report of JPY 333.6 million set in 2019, following the relocation of the historic Tsukiji fish market to Toyosu.
The early-morning public sale, which started at 5:10 am (native time), drew massive crowds, together with international vacationers, who watched bidders compete within the conventional New Year occasion, Kyodo News reported.
High bids on the first public sale of the yr are extensively seen as an indication of excellent luck and a promotional alternative for eating places.
Tuna costs have rebounded in recent times after slumping in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, with prime bids recorded at JPY 36.0 million in 2023, JPY 114.2 million in 2024, and JPY 207.0 million in 2025, as reported by Kyodo News. (ANI)