Tokyo: A major Japanese sushi restaurant chain has been awarded an official Guinness World Record certificate for securing the world's most expensive tuna at auction, having spent over 510.3 million yen (approximately 117,369,000 baht) in the first auction of 2026.
According to Thai News Agency, the 243-kilogram bluefin tuna was caught off the coast of Oma, Aomori Prefecture, in northern Japan. Kiyomura Corporation, which operates Sushizanmai, won the auction for this prized fish at Tokyo's Toyosu fish market on January 5th. Subsequently, the tuna was expertly filleted at their flagship store in Tsukiji and served to customers across all their branches nationwide.
Kiyoshi Kimura, president of Kiyomura Corporation, expressed during the Guinness World Records certificate presentation ceremony at the company's main branch on April 20th that the company is dedicated to consistently providing high-quality, delicious tuna to its customers now and in the future. This achievement marks the company's second world record following a previous record for the highest auction price of a bluefin tuna, which was 155.4 million yen (approximately 35,742,000 baht) in 2013.
Data from Tokyo city officials shows that the auction price this year is the highest since data collection began in 1999. The highest annual auction price has seen a steady increase, rising from 36 million yen (8,280,000 baht) in 2023 to 114 million yen (26,220,000 baht) in 2024, and 270 million yen (62,100,000 baht) in 2025.
The tradition of bidding large sums of money at the first auction of the year is significant among bidders, who believe it brings good fortune to their businesses and offers a key opportunity to promote their brand through various media outlets. Additionally, the early morning tuna auction remains a popular tourist attraction, allowing visitors to observe the lively trading atmosphere between buyers and sellers of fresh fish up close.