The fish is around the size and weight of a motorbike. It was won by Michelin-starred sushi restaurateurs the Onodera Group and wholesaler Yamayuki.

The sum is the second highest ever paid at the market’s opening auction of the year – and the fifth successive year the buyers have paid out the top price, Sky News reports. 

The highest tuna price remains 333.6m yen (£1.7m), paid by restaurant owner Kiyoshi Kimura in 2019 for a 278kg bluefin.