A prime cut of whale meat has fetched a record price at an auction in Japan's western prefecture of Yamaguchi.

About two tons of raw meat of a sei whale was put up for the bidding at a wholesale market in Shimonoseki City on Monday. The whale was captured off the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.

Starting at 2 a.m., pieces of the meat were auctioned off one after another while the auctioneer vigorously encouraged bidders.

A rare cut of meat near the tail fin sold at a record price of 500,000 yen, or about 3,600 dollars, per kilogram.

A fisheries company says the price is double the previous record marked in Osaka last month.

The head of the company said he was surprised at the price, which was much higher than he had expected. He added that he hopes many people will taste the rare raw meat.

A senior official of the wholesaler that made a successful bid said it is beautifully marbled meat, and that he paid the price to energize the industry as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic continues.