The prestigious sushi restaurateur Onodera Group and the Japanese wholesaler Yamayuki won the day, as in last year’s edition. The sharp increase over one year reflects an improvement in the market trend, following three years of falling prices due to the pandemic, which particularly weighed on the Japanese restaurant sector. But the absolute record for this tuna auction, reached in 2019 before the pandemic (333 million yen, or 2.7 million euros at the time), is still very far. Self-proclaimed “Tuna King” Kiyoshi Kimura has long reigned over this symbolic event and giving the winner strong publicity, and it was this restaurateur who shelled out the record price in 2019. But in recent years, Mr Kimura has is shown to be less spendthrift, citing the pandemic. (Belga)
