Japan sushi chain sets Guinness record for most expensive tuna at auction; it costs $4.08 million
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Mr Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura, which operates sushi chain Sushizanmai, said it will continue to offer high-quality tuna next year and beyond.
PHOTO: AFP
TOKYO – A Japanese sushi chain operator has claimed a Guinness World Records title for the most expensive tuna at auction after paying 510.3 million yen (S$4.08 million) at the year’s first auction in 2026.
The bluefin tuna, weighing 243kg, was caught off Oma in the north-eastern prefecture of Aomori. Kiyomura Corp., which operates the sushi chain Sushizanmai, bought it at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market on Jan 5.
The tuna was cut at Sushizanmai’s main Tsukiji outlet and served at its restaurants across Japan.
“We will continue to offer high-quality tuna next year and beyond,” Kiyomura president Kiyoshi Kimura said as he received the Guinness certificate at a ceremony at the chain’s main outlet on April 20.
It is the second Guinness World Records title for the operator, which was recognised for the bluefin tuna it bought for 155.4 million yen in the first auction of 2013.
According to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, 2026’s winning bid was the highest since comparable data became available in 1999.
The top bid at the annual auction, which was just 36 million yen in 2023, jumped to 114 million yen in 2024 and then to 270 million yen in 2025.
Spending big at the year’s first auction has become a tradition among bidders, as it is seen as a source of good luck and a chance for restaurants to capitalise on the publicity. KYODO NEWS
