The boss of a celebrated Japanese sushi restaurant chain has bid a winning 193.2 million yen ($2.6 million) for a 276-kilogram tuna in the first auction of the new year at Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market.

Kiyoshi Kimura, nicknamed ‘Sushi king’, runs sushi restaurant chain “Sushizanmai” in Tokyo, and spent the second-highest price on record for a single fish.

The tuna was caught off northern Aomori Prefecture, and its weight translates to a price of about $9,313 per kilogram.

“This is the best,” Mr Kimura said following the auction, according to Channel News Asia (CNA).

“Yes, this is expensive, isn’t it? I want our customers to eat very tasty ones this year too.”

Mr Kimura is a regular at the new year auction.

He was the successful bidder last year for the most expensive tuna on record, paying more than $4.5 million for a bluefin tuna.