A single bluefin tuna stole the spotlight at Tokyo’s famous New Year fish auction, selling for a staggering price and signalling another headline grabbing start to the year at Toyosu market.
A New Record at Toyosu Market
At the first auction of 2026, a 243 kilogram Pacific bluefin tuna sold for a record 510 million yen, about €2.78 million. The sale took place before sunrise at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, where New Year auctions are known for their festive atmosphere and sky high bids.
The winning bid came from Kiyomura Corp., owned by Kiyoshi Kimura, the man behind the popular Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain. A regular star of these auctions, Kimura beat his own previous record of 334 million yen set in 2019. He later admitted he had hoped to pay less, but the bidding escalated rapidly.
Why Oma Tuna Commands Such High Prices
The prized fish was caught off the coast of Oma in northern Japan, a region celebrated for producing some of the country’s finest tuna. Oma bluefin are especially sought after for their colour, texture and rich fat content, making them ideal for top quality sushi and sashimi.
Before bidding began, buyers walked through rows of enormous, torpedo shaped tuna laid out on the auction floor, inspecting the flesh closely. The winning fish worked out at around 2.1 million yen per kilogram. Kimura said the purchase was partly about welcoming good fortune for the New Year, adding that he could not resist a tuna that looked that good.
Tradition, Demand and a Recovering Species
While hundreds of tuna are sold every morning at Toyosu, prices surge during the New Year auction, particularly for high end catches from Oma. These sales are as much about tradition and symbolism as they are about business.
Pacific bluefin tuna were once considered threatened due to overfishing and climate pressures driven by their popularity. Conservation efforts have helped stocks begin to recover, offering hope that this iconic fish can remain a centrepiece of Japanese cuisine without putting its future at risk.
