A giant bluefin tuna captured all the attention at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, selling for a record-breaking price at the first auction of 2026.
A Historic Bid for a Giant Fish
A 243-kilogram bluefin tuna fetched an astonishing 510 million yen, around €2.78 million, when the auction began just before dawn on Monday. The winning bidder was Kiyomura Corp., owned by Kiyoshi Kimura, the founder of the famous Sushi Zanmai chain. Kimura, a regular at these high-profile auctions, smashed his own previous record of 334 million yen from 2019. He admitted afterward that he had hoped to spend a little less, but “the price shot up before you knew it.”
Oma Tuna’s Legendary Reputation
The prized fish was caught off the coast of Oma in northern Japan, a region known for producing some of the country’s finest bluefin tuna. At the auction, bidders examined rows of torpedo-shaped fish with their tails removed to check details like color, texture, and fat content. This tuna sold for about 2.1 million yen (€11,500) per kilogram. “It’s in part for good luck,” Kimura said. “But when I see a good-looking tuna, I cannot resist. I haven’t sampled it yet, but it’s got to be delicious.”
Tradition Meets Sustainability
While hundreds of tuna are sold daily at the early-morning auction, prices spike for Oma tuna during the celebratory New Year event. Once a threatened species due to overfishing and climate change, Pacific bluefin tuna stocks are now recovering thanks to conservation efforts. This allows Japan to continue enjoying premium-quality tuna while supporting more sustainable fishing practices.
