"4.7 Billion Won for a Tuna?"... All-Time Highs Set at First New Year Auction

243kg Oma Bluefin Tuna Sells for Record Price
Sea Urchin Price Surges Fivefold, New Year's Auction Heats Up

The first tuna auction of the New Year is taking place at Toyosu Market in Koto Ward, Tokyo. Photo by Yonhap News

A new record was set at the first tuna auction of the New Year held at Toyosu Market in Tokyo, Japan, as the winning bid for a tuna surpassed 4.7 billion yen. Not only tuna, but also sea urchin was traded at an all-time high, heating up the excitement at the New Year's auction.

According to NHK and Kyodo News, at the first tuna auction of the New Year held on the morning of January 5 at Toyosu Market, Tokyo’s seafood market, a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna from Oma, Aomori Prefecture, was sold for 510.3 million yen (approximately 4.7 billion won).

This is the highest price since records began in 1999, far exceeding the previous record of 333.6 million yen (about 3.08 billion won) set in 2019. Last year, the highest winning bid at the first auction of the year was 207 million yen (about 1.9 billion won).

This year's highest-priced tuna was purchased by Kimura Kiyoshi, CEO of Kiyomura, which operates the sushi chain Sushi Zanmai. Kimura also set the record for the highest bid at the first tuna auction of the year in 2019.

Kimura Kiyoshi, CEO of the Japanese sushi chain Sushi Zanmai, is famous for participating in the first tuna auction of the new year held annually at Toyosu Market and winning the bid with the highest price. Photo of CEO Kimura posted on Sushi Zanmai's Instagram.

Kimura Kiyoshi, CEO of Kiyomura, said, "As soon as I saw the tuna, I felt I had to have it no matter what," adding, "I was a bit surprised by the price, but I hope as many people as possible can enjoy this tuna and become healthier."

The tuna will be processed at the Sushi Zanmai Tsukiji main branch and will be sold from today at the same price as regular tuna.

Meanwhile, sea urchin was also traded at a record high at the auction. According to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, 400 grams of Hokkaido sea urchin was sold for 35 million yen (about 320 million won), which is about five times the previous record.