The companies in question are Sega Sammy Holdings, a leading interactive entertainment business, and Nippon Life Insurance.

The move brings the number of Tokyo 2020's corporate partners to 20.

Tsunekazu Takeda, President of both the Tokyo bid and the Japanese Olympic Committee, said he was delighted to welcome the new groups on board, adding that the strength of the bid's corporate sponsorship programme testified to the "tremendous potential" for the Japanese city to attract sponsors if awarded the Games.

The bid has projected that domestic sponsorship revenue from a Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games would total well over $900 million (£600 million/€700 million).

"Tokyo 2020 offers certainty in uncertain times for sport," Takeda asserted.

The sponsorship announcement came as Tokyo and its two rival bidders - Istanbul and Madrid - are preparing to attend the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Tokyo used last week's International Olympic Committee (IOC) Extraordinary Session in Lausanne to announce a new Government programme called Sport for Tomorrow, including overseas projects "designed to promote the Olympic Movement around the globe".

Takeda said he was looking forward to meeting with "my friends from Africa at the ANOCA meeting to exchange fruitful ideas and contribute to long-term friendship and mutual prosperity".

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