Bluefin Tuna Sells for $1.34 Million at Tokyo’s New Year Auction

A bluefin tuna fetched a staggering $1.34 million at Tokyo’s traditional New Year auction on Sunday, highlighting the global fascination with Japan’s tuna market.

The prized fish, weighing 276 kilograms, was caught in Oma, Aomori Prefecture, in northern Japan. It was purchased by the renowned Michelin-starred sushi restaurant group "Onodera Group" for an eye-watering 207 million yen ($1.34 million).

Last year, the restaurant’s owner paid nearly half this amount—114 million yen—for a similar tuna at the same auction.

While impressive, this year's price falls short of the record set in 2019 when Kiyoshi Kimura, famously known as the "Tuna King," paid 333.6 million yen (approximately $2.8 million at the time) for a 278-kilogram bluefin tuna.

The New Year tuna auction is a celebrated tradition in Japan, symbolizing prosperity and showcasing the value of bluefin tuna in Japanese culinary culture.