Tokyo, which lost out to Rio de Janeiro in the race for the 2016 Games, had no potential rivals to become Japan's bid city after Hiroshima abandoned its bid because of the potential cost.

The bid would help Japan recover from the earthquake and tsunami in March that killed more than 15,000 people, Takeda claimed.

"It will serve national interests that the people of the nation unite as one to bid for the Olympics as a symbol of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake," he said today.

Takeda claimed that the JOC was considering staging Olympic football matches in the disaster-hit North East region if the Games bid was successful, believing that any potential danger from the crisis at the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant that followed the earthquake and tsunami will have ceased by 2020.

"I believe it will be possible to have North East Japan stage Olympic soccer games in three to five prefectures nine years from now," he said.

Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara has spoken positively of bidding for 2020 since winning re-election in April, despite criticism for spending an estimated $175 million (£109 million) on Tokyo's failed 2016 bid during which they were eliminated in the second round of voting at the International Olympic Committee Session in Copenhagen in October 2009.

"Let's walk arm in arm towards this goal," he said.

Candidate cities have until September 1 to officially declare whether they are interested in bidding for 2020 or not.

But Jacques Rogge, the President of the IOC, is due to visit Tokyo on July 15-16 to attend a series of events to mark the centenary of the JOC and officials hope to be able to make an announcement then.

Double Olympic women's wrestling gold medallist Saori Yoshida joined Takeda in handing over the official document requesting Tokyo formally launch a campaign. 

"I might have retired by 2020 but if Tokyo gets the Olympics, I'll come back for it," said the 28-year-old, who won gold in the 55-kilo division at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Games.

"The Olympics would be a chance to give courage and energy to the Japanese people."

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