Giant tuna fetches record $1.8 mln at Tokyo auction

The winning bidder was sushi restaurant chain operator Kiyomura Co., which also set the previous record of 56.49 million yen ($640,000) for a bluefin tuna at New Year's auction last year.
"It was a little bit expensive," Kyodo quoted Kiyoshi Kimura, the company's 60-year-old president, as saying.
"But I hope we can encourage Japan by providing good tuna," Kimura said.
Bluefin tuna is prized for its tender red meat, which is the most sought-after by sushi and sashimi lovers.
The best slices of fatty bluefin can sell for 2,000 yen ($24) apiece at expensive Tokyo sushi bars.
Japan, which consumes about 80% of bluefin harvested worldwide, has been a target of criticism for endangering tuna populations in the Atlantic and Pacific.
Source: RIA Novosti