A huge bluefin tuna was sold for a record price of 510 million yen (about $3.2 million) at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market this week. It became the most expensive tuna ever sold at the famous New Year auction.

The tuna weighed about 243 kilograms and was caught near Ōma, a town in northern Japan known for high-quality tuna. Fish from this area are especially popular because of their rich taste and high fat content.

The buyer was Kiyomura Corporation, which owns the Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain. Its president, Kiyoshi Kimura, is often called the “Tuna King” because he regularly buys the top tuna at these auctions.

Kimura said he hoped the tuna would bring good luck and make people happy at the start of the year. He also said he did not expect the price to become so high, but competition was very strong.

The Toyosu market replaced Tokyo’s old Tsukiji market in 2018 and is now the main seafood market in the city. Hundreds of tuna are sold there every day, but prices are highest at the first auction of the year.

At this auction, the tuna sold for over 2 million yen per kilogram, far higher than normal market prices. Experts say the high price is not only about food, but also about tradition, publicity, and pride.

In the past, bluefin tuna populations dropped because of overfishing. However, international fishing limits have helped the number of fish slowly recover in recent years.

For Kimura and his company, buying the top tuna is both a business decision and a symbol. It brings attention to his restaurants and shows respect for Japan’s food culture and traditions.