Japan: tuna auctioned for 1.5 million

(ANSA) - TOKYO, JANUARY 5 - The Japanese owner of a chain of sushi restaurants nicknamed "the king of tuna" won the largest tuna at the main market in Tokyo for 1.5 million euros, at the usual New Year auction. Kiyoshi Kimura, owner of the Zanmai chain and already honoring the news for record purchases, paid 193 million yen for a bluefin tuna weighing 276 kg, caught again this year off the prefecture of Aomori (north of Japan). "This is the best," Kimura told reporters after the dawn auction. "Yes, it's expensive, isn't it? I want our customers to eat very well this year too." Last year he paid 2.7 million euros for a 278-kilo tuna. In 2013, he had paid more than double for a smaller tuna of just 222 kilos. The traditional New Year auction has been taking place since last year in the new Toyosu market. Located in a suburban neighborhood, the picturesque Tsukiji market has been replaced