JAPANESE SUSHI CHAIN WINS GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FOR MOST EXPENSIVE TUNA

Sat 25 April 2026:

A Japanese sushi chain operator set a new Guinness World Record for the most expensive tuna, paying $3.2 million for a 243kg bluefin at a 2026 auction.

A Japanese sushi chain operator has a new Guinness World Record for the most expensive tuna at auction after paying 510.3 million yen ($3.2 million) at the first auction in 2026, media reports said Saturday.

The bluefin tuna, weighing 243 kilograms *536 pounds), was caught off Oma in the northeastern prefecture of Aomori, Tokyo-based Kyodo News reported.

The winning bid was the highest since comparable data became available in 1999.

The top bid at the 2025 annual auction was 270 million yen ($1.7 million).

Kiyomura Corp.’s President Kiyoshi Kimura (R) receives the Guinness certificate for the most expensive auctioned tuna in Tokyo on April 20, 2026. (Kyodo)

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Kiyomura Corp., which operates the sushi chain Sushizanmai, bought the tuna at an auction at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market in January.

The tuna was cut at Sushizanmai’s main Tsukiji outlet and served at its restaurants across Japan.

It marks the second Guinness World Record title for the operator, which was recognized for the bluefin tuna it bought for 155.4 million yen ($980,000) in the first auction of 2013.

The year’s first auction has become a tradition among Japanese bidders, who see it as a source of good luck and a chance for restaurants to capitalize on the publicity.

It is the second Guinness World Records title for the operator, which was recognized for the bluefin tuna it bought for 155.4 million yen in the first auction of 2013.

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 capitalize on the publicity.

Watching early-morning tuna auctions from the market’s observation deck is a major tourist attraction. Visitors can take in the atmosphere as fresh tuna is laid out and bidders and sellers interact.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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