Japan’s New Year Tuna Auctions Reeling in Sensational Bids

Every year on January 5, a New Year auction is held at the Toyosu fish market. Among the fish being sold, tuna attracts the most attention and at the first auction in 2025, a bluefin tuna from Aomori Prefecture’s Ōma region sold for ¥207 million, which was the second highest bid ever.

A look back at trends in prices since 2001 showed that up to 2010, it was unusual for a bid to exceed ¥10 million. In 2013 though, the price hit ¥155.4 million, taking it above the ¥100 million mark for the first time. Since then, these bids have been gaining public interest as a kind of New Year’s tradition. The highest price to date was ¥333.6 million in 2019 at the first New Year’s auction following the market’s move from its traditional Tsukiji site to Toyosu.

The highest priced tuna for all but one of the years came from Ōma in Aomori Prefecture in Japan’s northern Tōhoku region, renowned for being an exceptionally strong brand. The only exception was in 2011, when a tuna from Toi in Hokkaidō pulled in the highest bid. Toi Fisheries Cooperative is located across the Tsugaru Strait on the opposite shore from Ōma, meaning it fishes in almost the same waters as Ōma Fisheries Cooperative. At that time, high bids were cast, due to the remarkably large size of the Toi fish, weighing in at over 300 kilograms.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)