A single tuna captured global attention at Tokyo’s New Year auction, selling for a record-breaking price and continuing a long-standing tradition of celebrating the start of the year with spectacular seafood bids.
A Tuna Worth Millions
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., whose owner Kiyoshi Kimura runs the famous Sushi Zanmai chain. Kimura, a familiar figure at these auctions, surpassed his own 2019 record of 334 million yen. He admitted afterward that he had hoped to pay less, but “the price shot up before you knew it.”
Oma Tuna, Japan’s Finest
The prized fish was caught off the coast of Oma in northern Japan, a region renowned for producing some of the country’s best bluefin. At the auction, bidders examined rows of torpedo-shaped tuna with their tails removed to assess color, texture, and fattiness. This particular tuna was valued at about 2.1 million yen (€11,500) per kilogram. Kimura explained part of the purchase was for tradition and good luck, but he also confessed, “When I see a good looking tuna, I cannot resist … I haven’t sampled it yet, but it’s got to be delicious.”
Tradition, Rarity, and Recovery
Hundreds of tuna are sold daily at the early morning auctions, but New Year events often see prices soar, especially for high-quality Oma tuna. Pacific bluefin tuna, once threatened by overfishing and climate change, have seen their numbers gradually recover thanks to conservation efforts. Today, these prized fish continue to fetch extraordinary sums and delight sushi lovers worldwide, blending tradition with sustainable progress.
