The first anniversary of the costly and contentious relocation of Tokyo's famous Tsukiji fish market from Chuo Ward to the site of a former gas plant 2 km south along Tokyo Bay was commemorated by a tuna auction Friday morning.

With seafood consumption in Japan declining and the list of complications at the new site growing, it remains to be seen whether the Toyosu market will attract enough business to match the famous Tsukiji brand.

The Toyosu wholesale market occupies a 40-hectare site — making it roughly 1.7 times bigger than Tsukiji — and boasts airtight buildings with better temperature control and on-site food processing and packaging facilities, a combination that supposedly makes it possible to deliver products with consistent refrigeration.