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A JAPANESE sushi boss set a record today after paying nearly £2.5 million for a blue-fin tuna in the year's first auction at Tokyo's new fish market.

Kiyoshi Kimura, who owns the Sushizanmai chain, paid 333.6 million yen for the 613-lb fish caught off the coast of northern Japan.

A Japanese sushi boss has paid a record breaking £2.5 million for a single blue-fin tuna
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A Japanese sushi boss has paid a record breaking £2.5 million for a single blue-fin tunaCredit: AFP or licensors

The price for the fish doubled his previous record for one tuna set six years ago in 2013.

Kimura told reporters outside the market: "The tuna looks so tasty and very fresh, but I think I did too much.

"I expected it would be between 30 million and 50 million yen, or 60 million yen at the highest, but it ended up five times more."

Saturday's event was the first New Year auction of the Toyosu market, after the famous Tsukiji fish market shut last year to provide temporary parking for the 2020 Olympics.

Kiyoshi Kimura paid 333.6 million yen (£2.4 million) for the 613-lb fish
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Kiyoshi Kimura paid 333.6 million yen (£2.4 million) for the 613-lb fishCredit: EPA
The whopper was caught off the coast of northern Japan
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The whopper was caught off the coast of northern JapanCredit: EPA
The tycoon owns the Sushizanmai restaurant chain in Japan
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The tycoon owns the Sushizanmai restaurant chain in JapanCredit: AFP or licensors
The restaurant owner was later pictured filleting the fish at his restaurant
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The restaurant owner was later pictured filleting the fish at his restaurantCredit: EPA
Kimura also sampled the produce taking a bite of a slice of sashimi
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Kimura also sampled the produce taking a bite of a slice of sashimiCredit: EPA

Kimura had held the record for top price paid for a single fish at the New Year’s auction for six straight years until 2017.

But last year, the owner of a different restaurant chain paid a higher price.

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After the auction, the fish was taken to one of Sushizanmai's branches in the old market of Tsukiji.

There he was snapped filleting the gigantic fish and taking a bite.

Tuna is prized around the world as a sushi delicacy, but experts warn growing demand has made it an endangered species.

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