Tuna fetching $1.3M in New Year auction fuels Japan economy hopes

A bluefin tuna fetched 207 million yen ($1.3 million) during the year's first auction at a popular fish market in Tokyo on Sunday, the second highest price on record and fueling hopes for a continued economic recovery in Japan, Report informs via Kyodo News.

With an array of tuna on the block, the lively auction began at 5:10 a.m. at the Toyosu market, which has become one of the capital's major tourist spots in recent years.

The 276-kilogram tuna, caught off the coast of Oma in the northeastern prefecture of Aomori, was jointly bought by an intermediate wholesaler and a company that operates the Sushi Ginza Onodera chain of restaurants.

"The year's first tuna brings good luck. We want to make people smile with food," said Shinji Nagao, the president of the sushi restaurant operator.