A bluefin tuna weighing 128.4 kilograms (283 pounds) fetched an eight-year high of 9.63 million yen (US$103,616) today at the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, commonly known as the Tsukiji fish market.
Today’s fish auction was the first of the new year. A Hong Kong sushi bar owner bought the prized tuna in cooperation with an upscale sushi restaurant from Ginza, Tokyo’s luxury shopping district. The Hong Kong restaurateur also paid the highest price at last year’s first auction on the Tsukiji market.
The price for the tuna was the highest since 2001, when the record high of 20.2 million yen was set.
