THE INSIDER: Law of the market calls the tuna
Sushi entrepreneur Kiyoshi Kimura pays eye-watering 74.2-million yen (R8.7m) for prized bluefin tuna
Japan’s self-styled "Tuna King", sushi entrepreneur Kiyoshi Kimura, paid top price at the first auction of the new year at Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market last week, bagging a prized 212kg bluefin tuna — a threatened species — for an eye-watering 74.2-million yen (R8.7m). AFP reports that at that price, a single piece of fatty tuna sushi would cost roughly R1,164, or 25 times what Kimura charges for the product at his 51 stores across Japan. "I feel it was a bit expensive, but I am happy that I was able to successfully win at auction a tuna of good shape and size," Kimura said. Later in the day, Kimura and his fellow sushi chefs sliced up the giant fish with special knives resembling a Japanese sword at its main restaurant near the market, as hundreds of sushi lovers waited for a taste or two. "As always, I want to buy the best one so that our customers can have it. That’s all," Kimura said when asked about the auction result. Kimura has built his successful chain into a national brand ...
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