January 6, 2026

Record-Breaking First Tuna Auction Opens the Year at Toyosu

The traditional New Year’s first tuna auction at Tokyo’s Toyosu Market reached an unprecedented milestone on the morning of January 5, when a giant bluefin tuna from Oma in Aomori Prefecture was sold for a record-shattering 510.3 million yen.

The winning bidder was Kiyomura, the Tokyo-based operator of the popular sushi chain Sushi Zanmai, which reclaimed the coveted top tuna after a six-year absence. The final price surpassed the company’s previous record of 333.6 million yen set in 2019 by more than 50 percent.

At 5:10 a.m., the bell signaling the start of the auction rang out across the vast market hall, igniting a flurry of spirited bidding. Hundreds of premium tuna from across Japan had been delivered for the occasion, but attention swiftly converged on a single standout catch from Oma, a 243-kilogram bluefin boasting exceptionally fine marbling across its entire body. As multiple wholesalers competed, the price climbed rapidly, culminating in Kiyomura securing the prized “first tuna” for the first time since 2020.

The fish will be carved at Sushi Zanmai’s flagship Tsukiji restaurant and served from the same day at regular prices: 398 yen for lean cuts, 498 yen for medium fatty tuna, and 598 yen for the prized otoro, all before tax. Tuna from Oma has now claimed the highest auction price for 15 consecutive years.

Katsutoshi Odaka, head of the Oma Fisheries Cooperative, expressed both astonishment and gratitude. “We are simply stunned by the five hundred million yen figure,” he said, adding that the outcome was a fitting recognition of the tireless efforts by Oma’s fishermen to refine quality over many years. He voiced hopes that the strong start would signal a vibrant year ahead for the tuna trade.

Extraordinary prices at the first auction, often exceeding 10 million yen per fish, have become commonplace over the past 15 years. What began as a gesture by seafood professionals wishing to invigorate annual business gradually evolved into a powerful publicity event. Since 2010, high-profile bidders including Kiyomura and Hong Kong-backed Itamae Sushi have driven prices ever higher, and in 2013 the winning bid broke the 100 million yen barrier for the first time. Kiyomura’s president, Kiyoshi Kimura, has since earned the moniker “the Tuna King,” a symbol of both Japan’s enduring culinary traditions and the spectacle surrounding the year’s first catch.