Pallavi Sharma
Dharamshala:
Japan’s famed New Year tradition of kick-starting business with a splash of extravagance returned in grand style as a single bluefin tuna fetched a staggering ¥510 million — around Rs 29 crore —at the first fish auction of the year.
The 243-kg fish, sold on January 5 at Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market, has now been crowned the most expensive edible fish ever auctioned, underlining both the cultural weight and marketing muscle behind the ritual.
The record-breaking tuna was bought by Kiyoshi Kimura, head of the Kyomura Corporation and owner of the popular Sushi Zanmai restaurant chain.
Popularly known in Japan as the “Tuna King”, Kimura is no stranger to headline-grabbing bids.
Speaking after the auction, he admitted the price shot up faster than expected, but said resisting top-quality tuna was never an option.
Why bluefin tuna commands astronomical prices
Bluefin tuna is regarded as the crown jewel of the sushi world. Its meat is prized for its rich fat content, vibrant colour and melt-in-the-mouth texture, particularly the belly cut known as otoro, often compared to butter. Larger and older fish are considered superior in taste, pushing their value sharply higher.
Scarcity adds to the allure. Overfishing in earlier decades drastically reduced bluefin populations, prompting strict international quotas and regulations. The fish also migrates across vast stretches of open ocean, making it difficult and expensive to catch. Tuna sourced near Japan’s Oma coast is especially valued, as local fishermen use specialised line-fishing methods that minimise stress and damage, preserving top-grade meat quality.
More than food: prestige, branding and belief
In Japan, the first auction of the year is seen as auspicious, with a high opening bid believed to bring prosperity for the months ahead. For major buyers, the logic goes far beyond recovering costs through sushi sales. Industry insiders say such purchases are effectively global marketing campaigns. The media attention and social buzz generated are worth far more than traditional advertising, instantly positioning the buyer as a symbol of unmatched quality.
Kimura himself held the previous record too. In 2019, he bought a 278-kg tuna for ¥333.6 million (about Rs 20 crore at the time). By outbidding that figure now, he has effectively surpassed his own benchmark.
While Rs 29 crore for a single fish may sound implausible, similar stories exist elsewhere. In India, the costliest fish auction involved ghol (black-spotted croaker), with a lot of 157 fish selling for Rs 1.33 crore in Maharashtra’s Palghar district in 2021, driven by demand for its medicinally valuable swim bladder.
For Japan, however, the bluefin tuna remains unrivalled, not just as seafood, but as a powerful blend of tradition, luxury and global branding.
