Friday, January 4, 2013

Bluefin Tuna Off Aomori Prefecture Fetches 155 Million Yen in First Auction of the Year at Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo


It is the highest ever price fetched. The bluefin tuna was caught off the coast of Ooma, Aomori Prefecture. A nuclear power plant is being constructed in Ooma.

The construction was halted after the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant accident, but Yukio Edano, then-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, allowed the restart of construction at Ooi in September last year.

The town of Ooma is very famous for its excellent tuna, and part of the opposition to the nuclear power plant there is because of potential danger the exhaust water from the plant may pose to marine life.

Oh well. Aomori Prefecture is solidly an LDP territory, with Higashidori Nuclear Power Plant and Rokkasho Reprocessing Plant already in place. They want more nuclear subsidies. So what the prized tuna fish goes bust?

From Nikkei Shinbun (1/5/2012):

新春恒例の初セリが5日、東京・築地市場で開かれ、青森・大間産のクロマグロが1キロあたり70万円、1匹1億5540万円の史上最高値で競り落とされた。これまでの最高値は昨年の5649万円(キロ21万円)。落札者は昨年に続き、すし専門店「すしざんまい」を展開する喜代村(東京・中央)。

The first auction of the year was held at Tsukiji Market in Tokyo on January 5. Fluefin tuna caught in Ooma, Aomori fetched 700,000 yen [US$8,000] per kilogram, or 155.4 million yen [US$1.78 million] for the whole fish, the highest ever in history. Before this year, 56.49 million yen per fish (210,000 yen per kilo) was the highest. The winning bidder was the same as the last year's winning bidder, sushi shop Kiyomura (Chuo-ku, Tokyo) with "Sushizanmai" sushi chain.


This is the photo of the 155 million yen tuna (from Nikkei article above):


7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow at $8000 a kilo I wonder how much it runs per portion at the sushi shop? The young person directly behind the fish looks like they are dreaming of dinner.

Anonymous said...

Can't help but wonder if the high price is an attempt at influencing the perception that there is still high demand for such goods. It reinforces the illusion of "safety" in the minds of others.

arevamirpal::laprimavera said...

I think it's more like the last "safe" bluefin off Ooma before the nuclear power plant is built there. Some say the construction is already affecting the environment. I wish I had the famous "ootoro" from Ooma...

VyseLegendaire said...

Seems like the propaganda engines are in high gear during this time of peak crisis.

Anonymous said...

Wow bread and circuses for the masses in Japan , i bet that Tuna is radioactive too... high strangeness from Japan yet again ... total propoganda too

kintaman said...

You could not pay me that much to eat even a morsel. As much as I love tuna I will never consume it again. Thank you TEPCO. We all thank you.

Anonymous said...

" It reinforces the illusion of "safety" in the minds of others."

Yes. Just buckle down to that old Paradigm. Stick your head in the sand. And pop down the local sushi shop and tuck in.
Deee-licious. And wash it down with some nice Tohoku sake.

No immediate effects on human health.

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