The ¥500-Million Tuna: Record Price Set at Japan Fish Market’s New Year Auction

Expensive Fish

A 234-kilogram bluefin tuna from Aomori Prefecture’s Ōma region was sold for a new record of ¥510.3 million at Toyosu Market’s 2026 New Year auction, held on January 5. The previous record was ¥333.6 million at the first auction of 2019, which was also the first such New Year event after the market relocated from its traditional Tsukiji site to Toyosu.

The winning bid came from Kiyomura, which operates the sushi chain Sushi Zanmai. Kimura Kiyoshi, the firm’s president, said, “I thought we could buy it for ¥400 million, but before we knew it the price was soaring.” He added, “It’s an auspicious fish, so we hope as many people as possible can eat it and get energized.” He says he plans to sell the sushi from the tuna at his chain’s usual prices, ranging from ¥398 to ¥598 a serving.

While Sushi Zanmai does not publish the weight of its sushi toppings, usually these are about 10 to 15 grams. This means that the cost to the company for one piece of sushi using the record-breaking tuna is around ¥20,000 to ¥30,000.

Toyosu Market: Auction Battleground for the World’s Top Tuna | Nippon.com

Early each morning, Tokyo’s Toyosu Market hosts its famed auctions for Pacific bluefin tuna. Single fish have gone for more than ¥300 million, earning them the name “black diamonds” of the sea. We take a trip behind the scenes to learn more about what the fishers, auctioneers, and wholesalers at the heart of this daily action.

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(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo Kiyomura President Kimura Kiyoshi with the ¥500-million bluefin tuna in Tokyo on January 5, 2026. © Jiji.)