Japanese sushi magnate Kiyoshi Kimura shattered auction records Monday by purchasing a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna for ¥510.3 million ($3.2 million) at Tokyo’s annual New Year fish market auction. The self-proclaimed ‘Tuna King’ acquired the premium specimen caught off Japan’s northern coast for his nationwide sushi restaurant chain, surpassing the previous 2019 record of ¥333.6 million.
Kimura expressed surprise at the final price, noting ‘the price soared before you knew it’ during the pre-dawn bidding competition. He stated his hope that the auspicious tuna would ‘energize as many people as possible’ through his restaurants’ offerings.
The extraordinary price marks a strong recovery from pandemic-era auctions when restaurant closures drove prices to fractions of normal levels. Fisheries experts view the record bid as an indicator of both market confidence and ecological progress.
Dave Gershman of the Pew Charitable Trusts’ international fisheries team emphasized that Pacific bluefin stocks are demonstrating significant improvement after nearing collapse. He credited the 2017 recovery plan’s effectiveness while calling for international stakeholders to establish a long-term sustainable management strategy in 2026. Representatives from Japan, the United States, Korea, and other Pacific fishing nations are expected to collaborate on ensuring the species never again faces historical overfishing levels.