A giant bluefin tuna fetched a record ¥32.49 million in Tokyo on Wednesday during the first auction of the year at the world's largest wholesale fish market.

The price for the 342-kg tuna beat the previous record set in 2001 when a 202-kg fish sold for ¥20.2 million, Tsukiji market spokesman Yutaka Hasegawa said. "It was an exceptionally large fish," Hasegawa said. "But we were all surprised by the price."

The massive tuna was bought and shared by the same duo who won the bidding for last year's top fish: the owners of Kyubey, an upscale sushi restaurant in Ginza, and Itamae Sushi, a Hong Kong-based chain.