Editor’s Note
This article explores the astonishing $3.2 million auction of a single tuna in Tokyo, a price tag that starkly illustrates its extraordinary value. We examine what makes this fish so special and who the record-breaking buyer is.
A special tuna fish was auctioned at the New Year fish market in Japan. The auction price for this fish is so high that you could buy 208.6 kilograms of 24-carat gold with it. Learn what is so special about this fish and who its buyer is.
How much can a fish cost? A few thousand or at most a few lakh rupees… But this tuna fish was auctioned not for one lakh, but for 3.2 million dollars, i.e., more than 29 crore rupees. In India, with 29 crore rupees, you could buy 208 kilograms of 24-carat gold today. Not only that, you could also buy several luxury apartments.
In fact, a tuna auction was held at Tokyo’s Toyosu Fish Market, and in the first auction of 2026, a massive 243-kilogram (535-pound) Pacific bluefin tuna was sold for a record-breaking price of 510 million yen (3.2 million dollars).
The hefty bid for this Pacific bluefin tuna was placed by Kiyomura Corp., which runs the famous Sushi Zanmai chain. Its owner’s name is Kiyoshi Kimura. It should be noted that Kimura already holds a previous record. In 2019, he had auctioned a tuna for 334 million yen (2.1 million dollars). With this year’s auction, Kimura has broken his own record and set a new one.
Oma tuna fetches the highest prices, especially in the festive New Year auction. Hundreds of tuna are sold daily at Toyosu, but Oma bluefin consistently attracts significantly higher bids due to its superior quality. It is also known as the Black Diamond of the Sea. Oma bluefin tuna is special because of its very high fat content, tremendous flavor, and melt-in-the-mouth texture.