Bluefin tuna sells for record $3.2 million at Tokyo auction

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A large bluefin tuna made waves at Tokyo's Toyosu fish market on Monday morning, fetching a record 510.3 million yen ($3.2 million) in the market's first auction of the year.

The winning bid for the 243 kg fish came from Kiyomura Corp, the operator of the popular sushi chain Sushi Zanmai, which has outlets across the country and abroad, the Telegraph reports.

"The first ton of the year brings good luck," said Kiyoshi Kimura, the company's president and a prominent figure at the annual New Year's auction, Kyodo reported.

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Kimura, who has been dubbed the Tuna King, is known for bidding high for bluefin tuna at New Year's auctions. The entrepreneur told reporters after the auction that he was "surprised by the price," AFP reported.

"I thought we would be able to buy a little cheaper, but the price went up a lot before you knew it," he said.

Kimura paid 56.5 million yen for a bluefin tuna in 2012 and 155 million yen in 2013 - setting record prices both times.

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In 2019 he bought a bluefin tuna for 333.6 million yen ($2.1 million) - another historic price.

Despite telling reporters at the time that he thought he had "done too much", however, Kimura has now gone on to break his own record again.

The first auction at Tokyo's Toyosu fish market usually sees fish sold at exorbitant prices.

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