Japan: Tuna 'as fat as a cow' sells for $1.3 million

A titanic 276-kilo bluefin tuna has sold for $1.3 million, the second-highest price on record.

The 276-kilogram fish was bought jointly by sushi restaurant operator Onodera Group and wholesaler Yamayuki 

Image: Issei Kato/REUTERS

DW

5/1/2025

In Japan, an enormous bluefin tuna sold for around $1.3 million (€1.26 million) in the first auction of the season at Tokyo's famed fish market according to local media.

Michelin-starred sushi restaurateurs, the Onodera Group said they paid 207 million yen for the 276 kilogram (608 pound) fish.

'It was as fat as a cow,' said 73-year-old fisherman Masahiro Takeuchi 

Image: Kyodo/REUTERS

Second-highest selling tuna

Kyodo news agency reported that it was the second-highest amount to be achieved at auction on record.

In 2019, a bluefin tuna fetched the equivalent of $2.1 million — the highest price ever recorded since 1999 when records began.

"It was as fat as a cow," Kyodo quoted 73-year-old fisherman Masahiro Takeuchi as saying.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw new year tunas garner only a fraction of their typical selling prices amid restrictions and fewer people dining out.

The latest big sale has raised hopes Japan will continue to recover from the economic downturn.

The first new year tuna auction of the year at Toyosu Market in Tokyo, Japan, on January 5, 2025

Image: David Mareuil/Anadolu/picture alliance

kb/wd (dpa, AFP)