Toyko's Toyosu fish market held its first market of the year on Tuesday after the brief holiday break, where a bluefin tuna sold for 20.8 million yen, or $202,197.
Although the number seemed quite impressive, it was actually a decline from the previous year's high-selling tuna at the first Toyosu auction, which went for 193 million yen.
Kiyomura Corp, a major bidder at the auction, noted that they refrained from placing substantial bids this year in order to refrain from encouraging customers to eat out at restaurants since high bids for high-quality tuna tend to attract significant attention from the media.
In 2019, the selling price for the first tuna auction hit a record high of 333.6 million yen.
"The spread of the new coronavirus will eventually be contained when vaccines and treatment will be in widespread use," said the president of wholesale company Tohto Suisan, Koh Ehara. "Until that day comes, we, as one team of all in this market, are determined to continue with the stable supply of fresh food without disruption."
The Japanese government stated on Monday that it was considering declaring a state of emergency to address rising coronavirus cases in Tokyo and its surrounding areas.
