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A Japanese sushi chain shattered information Monday by paying a staggering $3.24 million (510 million yen) for a single bluefin tuna at Tokyo’s famed New Yr fish public sale.
The highest bidder for the prized 536-pound tuna was Kiyomura Corp., the Tokyo-based operator of standard sushi restaurant chain Sushi Zanmai. The bid broke Kiyomura’s earlier file of $2.1 million (333.6 million yen) in 2019.
Kiyomura proprietor Kiyoshi Kimura advised reporters that he didn’t anticipate to pay a lot for the fish, however “the value shot up earlier than you knew it.”
“I believed that (the successful bid) would are available in somewhat bit decrease, possibly round 400 million or 300 million yen, however it turned out to be over 500 million,” Kimura, often called the “Tuna King,” advised reporters.
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Kiyomura Corp.’s President Kiyoshi Kimura, who runs a series of sushi eating places Sushi Zanmai, poses with a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna auctioned for a file 510 million yen ($3.24 million) on the first public sale of 2026 at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, a (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters Pictures)
The prized fish was caught off the coast of Oma in northern Japan, a area famed for producing among the nation’s finest tuna. It fetched about $13,360 (2.1 million yen) per kilogram, or roughly $6,060 per pound.

Kiyomura Corp.’s President Kiyoshi Kimura prepares to chop a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna auctioned for a file 510 million yen ($3.24 million) on the first public sale of 2026 at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, at his sushi restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 5, (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters Pictures)
“It’s partially for good luck,” Kimura mentioned. “However once I see an excellent trying tuna, I can’t resist … I haven’t sampled it but, however it’s received to be scrumptious.”
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The huge tuna was taken to Sushizanmai’s flagship restaurant, then sliced and distributed to areas nationwide. Kimura mentioned the tuna shall be served to clients at commonplace menu costs.

Kiyoshi Kimura cuts meat from a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna auctioned for a file 510 million yen ($3.24 million) on the first public sale of 2026 at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, at his sushi restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 5, 2026. (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters Pictures)
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“I hope the financial system will get higher this 12 months. The Takaichi administration pledged to work, work, work, so Sushizanmai will work, work, work too,” Kimura mentioned, referring to the new authorities of Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first feminine prime minister. “I hope this bid will cheer everybody up.”
Reuters contributed to this report.
