Giant bluefin tuna fetches record $3.2 million at Tokyo’s New Year auction

 A massive bluefin tuna weighing 243 kilograms was sold for a record-breaking 510 million yen (approximately $3.2 million) at the traditional New Year's auction at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market on Tuesday.

The prize fish, caught in the waters off northern Aomori Prefecture, was purchased by a major Japanese sushi restaurant chain. In Japan, winning the first high-stakes auction of the year is considered a symbolic act to bring good luck and business prosperity.

Beyond tradition, the purchase serves as a high-profile marketing tactic, often drawing massive crowds of customers eager to taste a slice of the record-priced tuna.