Giant tuna fetches record $1.8 mln at Tokyo auction

TOKYO. January 5. KAZINFORM A 222-kilogram bluefin tuna sold for an all-time high of 155.4 million yen (about $1.76 million) on Saturday at the year's first auction at the Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market in Tokyo's Tsukiji district, Japan's Kyodo News agency said.
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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

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