Kiyoshi Kimura, a self-described “Tuna King,” who runs restaurant chain Sushi Zanmai, paid 193 million yen (about $1.8 million) for a 608-pound (276-kilogram) bluefin tuna, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.
Kiyoshi Kimura with the bluefin tuna that fetched $1.8 million
Kazuhiro Nogi/AFP via Getty Images
Kimaru’s purchase, although costly, wasn’t even the highest amount paid for a tuna — at last year’s auction, the businessman paid a record $3.1 million (333.6 million yen) for a 612-pound fish.
The latest huge tuna was caught in Japan’s northern Aomori prefecture, NHK reported.
Kimura said the fish was expensive, but that he was glad to get it in the first New Year auction of the new Reiwa era, NHK reported.
Kimura paid $3.1 million for a fish at last year’s auction.
Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images
“Yes, this is expensive, isn’t it? I want our customers to eat very tasty ones this year too,” Kimura said at the pre-dawn auction, the AFP news agency reported.
Bluefin are the largest tuna, and can live up to 40 years, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
An endangered species, they migrate across all oceans, can weigh 1,500 pounds and reach 10 feet in length.
CNN’s Alaa Elassar contributed to this story.