A massive 243-kilogram bluefin tuna has sold for a record-breaking 510 million yen, roughly $3.2 million, during Tokyo’s first fish auction of 2026.
The sale took place in the early hours of January 5 at Toyosu fish market as part of Japan’s annual New Year tuna auction. This long-running tradition is where wholesalers and top sushi operators compete for the year’s first prized catch.
While this prize catch will eventually be served to customers, the opening auction is largely symbolic, with buyers paying extreme premiums for prestige, publicity, and the chance to start the year on a high note.
243kg tuna sells for a record-breaking $3.2 million
According to The Independent, the winning bid came from Kiyomura Corp., operator of the Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain, owned by Kiyoshi Kimura. The purchase broke Kimura’s own previous record of 334 million yen, around $2.1 million, which he paid for a bluefin tuna at the 2019 auction.
Even as prices climbed again in recent auctions, including 207 million yen in 2025, none came close to the scale of the 2026 sale. Broken down, the tuna worked out at an eye-watering $13,000 per kilogram.
This headline-grabbing sum is driven by visibility rather than market value, with record bids like the above serving as global advertising for restaurants rather than the true value of the fish. Either way, it’s an impressive sum for an even more impressive fish.
