Tuna Reels in ¥114 million at New Year’s Auction; Highest Price in Four Years

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:49 JST, January 5, 2024

A 238-kilogram bluefin tuna caught in the waters off Oma, Aomori Prefecture, was sold for ¥114.24 million (¥480,000 per kilogram) in the first auction of the year at Toyosu Market in Tokyo’s Koto Ward on Friday, exceeding ¥100 million for the first time in four years.

After wholesalers and other attendees observed a moment of silence for the victims of the Noto Peninsula Earthquake, the auction kicked off with the ringing of bells. Fresh and frozen tuna brought from ports across Japan were auctioned off one after another amid lively shouts.

A marine brokerage firm called Yamayuki bought the most expensive tuna at the New Year’s auction for the fourth year in a row. Yukitaka Yamaguchi, 61, the president of the company, said, “With the gloomy news continuing from the first three days of the year, I hope this event will bring a little cheer to people.”