ALBAWABA - A Japanese sushi entrepreneur purchased a giant bluefin tuna on Monday for $3.2 million, AFP reported, adding that the auction took place in Tokyo's main fish market.
Kiyoshi Kimura's sushi restaurant chain paid over $3 million for the 243-kilogramme fish that was found on the northern coast of the country.
"I'd thought we would be able to buy a little cheaper, but the price soared before you knew it," Kimura said after the pre-dawn auction, adding, "I was surprised at the price...I hope that by eating auspicious tuna, as many people as possible will feel energised."
The 510.3 million yen price [$3.2 million] at the new year's auction was the highest since comparable data started being collected in 1999.
Kiyoshi Kimura (C), president of Kiyomura Corp., the Tokyo-based operator of sushi restaurant chain Sushizanmai, displays a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna at his main restaurant in Tokyo on January 5, 2026. Photo by YUICHI YAMAZAKI / AFP
