A 211-kilogram bluefin tuna from Oma, Aomori Prefecture, took the top price of 16.88 million yen early Wednesday morning at the hatsuseri New Year auction at the Toyosu wholesale market in Tokyo.
A bell rang shortly after 5 a.m., kicking off the auction at the wholesale fishery building in Koto Ward, where 1,291 fresh and frozen tuna were lined up. Middlemen in masks quickly signaled with their hands, bidding on the tuna one after another.
