Tokyo 2020 has further bolstered its list of Official Partners by signing deals with four Japanese national newspapers ©Tokyo 2020

Tokyo 2020 has further bolstered its list of Official Partners by signing deals with four Japanese national newspapers, it has been announced today.

The Yomiuri Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun Company, Nikkei Inc. and The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd have all penned agreements and will be jointly attributed to the “newspapers” category in the Second Tier of Official Partners of the Games.

Their addition brings the total number of Tokyo 2020’s Partners to 26, with 11 serving as Official Partners.

“On this occasion, it gives me great pleasure to welcome four of Japan’s leading newspaper companies - The Yomiuri Shimbun, The Asahi Shimbun Company, Nikkei Inc. and The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd. - as Tokyo 2020 Official Partners,” Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori said.

“Working together with such influential partners, I have great expectations that we will be able to further promote the Olympic and Paralympic movements.”

The Yomiuri Shimbun was founded in 1874 and is part of the Yomiuri Group, the biggest media conglomerate in Japan.

The company was also a partner of the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) from 2002 to 2014.

Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori welcomed the addition of the four Japanese national newspapers as Official Partners for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, bringing the total to 26 ©Getty Images
Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori welcomed the addition of the four Japanese national newspapers as Official Partners for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, bringing the total to 26 ©Getty Images

“For 12 years from 2002 The Yomiuri Shimbun supported Japan’s national Olympic teams as the sole JOC Official Partner in the newspaper industry, as well as backing Tokyo’s two Olympic bids,” Yomiuri Shimbun President Toshikazu Yamaguchi said.

“During this time, we strived to fulfill our mission as a media organisation by earning the trust of our readers through impartial reporting.

“We will continue to steadfastly maintain this stance as we support athletes to make the Tokyo 2020 Games a success and devote even greater efforts to promoting sports for persons with an impairment.”

The Asahi Shimbun published its first issue in 1879 and runs both a morning and evening edition.

The Nikkei is the flagship publication of Nikkei Inc. and claims to be the largest financial newspaper in the world, with daily circulation figures of around three million.

The Mainichi Shimbun, owned by The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd, claims to be Japan’s oldest newspaper having been first published in 1872 and the company also publishes bilingual magazine the Mainichi Weekly, as well as a weekly news magazine, the Sunday Mainichi.