Japanese sushi chain pays $3.24 million for bluefin tuna at Tokyo auction

A Japanese sushi chain shattered records Monday by paying a staggering $3.24 million (510 million yen) for a single bluefin tuna at Tokyo’s famed New Year fish auction.

The top bidder for the prized 536-pound tuna was Kiyomura Corp., the Tokyo-based operator of popular sushi restaurant chain Sushi Zanmai. The bid broke Kiyomura’s previous record of $2.1 million (333.6 million yen) in 2019.

Kiyomura owner Kiyoshi Kimura told reporters that he did not expect to pay so much for the fish, but “the price shot up before you knew it.”

“I thought that (the winning bid) would come in a little bit lower, maybe around 400 million or 300 million yen, but it turned out to be over 500 million,” Kimura, known as the “Tuna King,” told reporters.

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Kiyomura Corp.’s President Kiyoshi Kimura, who runs a chain of sushi restaurants Sushi Zanmai, poses with a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna auctioned for a record 510 million yen ($3.24 million) at the first auction of 2026 at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, a (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters Photos)

The prized fish was caught off the coast of Oma in northern Japan, a region famed for producing some of the country’s best tuna. It fetched about $13,360 (2.1 million yen) per kilogram, or roughly $6,060 per pound.

Kiyomura Corp.’s President Kiyoshi Kimura prepares to cut a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna auctioned for a record 510 million yen ($3.24 million) at the first auction of 2026 at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, at his sushi restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 5, (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters Photos)

“It’s in part for good luck,” Kimura said. “But when I see a good looking tuna, I cannot resist … I haven’t sampled it yet, but it’s got to be delicious.”

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The massive tuna was taken to Sushizanmai’s flagship restaurant, then sliced and distributed to locations nationwide. Kimura said the tuna will be served to customers at standard menu prices.

Kiyoshi Kimura cuts meat from a 243-kilogram bluefin tuna auctioned for a record 510 million yen ($3.24 million) at the first auction of 2026 at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market, at his sushi restaurant in Tokyo, Japan, Jan. 5, 2026. (Reuters/Kim Kyung-Hoon / Reuters Photos)

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“I hope the economy will get better this year. The Takaichi administration pledged to work, work, work, so Sushizanmai will work, work, work too,” Kimura said, referring to the new government of Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister. “I hope this bid will cheer everyone up.”

Reuters contributed to this report.