A sushi restaurant entrepreneur successfully secured a giant bluefin tuna at a prestigious auction held at Tokyo’s main fish market on Monday (January 5). The fish was sold for an astonishing 510.3 million yen, or approximately Rp54 billion, setting a new auction record.

The buyer, Kiyoshi Kimura—widely known as the “Tuna King”—was willing to place the highest bid for the 243-kilogram bluefin tuna caught off the northern coast of Japan.

Following the auction, Kimura admitted he had expected to purchase the fish at a lower price, but the bidding escalated rapidly. He expressed hope that sharing the tuna would bring good fortune and uplift the spirits of many people.

Shortly after the sale, the massive tuna was carved and prepared into sushi at Kimura’s restaurant chain, where it was offered at around 500 yen (Rp55,000) per sushi roll.

One diner, 19-year-old Minami Sugiyama, said eating the tuna made her feel she had started the year on a positive note. Another customer, Shinto, aged 40, remarked that the fish tasted naturally sweet even without soy sauce, praising its rich flavor and satisfying texture.

The 510.3 million yen price marks the highest auction figure since records began in 1999. The previous record was set in 2019, when a 278-kilogram bluefin tuna fetched 333.6 million yen after the market relocated from the historic Tsukiji area to a modern facility. Last year’s top bidder paid 207 million yen for a 276-kilogram tuna.