Kameyama hopes Ishinomaki, located in the Miyagi Prefecture, is given the honour after it was one of the regions affected by the devastating Tsunami and earthquake in 2011.

More than 3,000 people were killed in the area by the disaster, while over 2,770 people remain unaccounted for.

It has been claimed that nearly half of the city, which remains particularly susceptible to typhoons, was inundated by the Tsunami.

Kameyama has requested the city, located in the north-east of Japan and just shy of 400 kilometres away from Tokyo, where the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics are due to take place, be the venue for the opening leg of the Torch Relay.

The Relay is a key promotional event for any Games and allows the Olympic Flame to visit vast areas of the host country.

Kameyama met with Olympics Minister Tamayo Marukawa and made the request, according to Kyodo News.

"It's a major theme, using the lens of the Olympics, to allow people to see the rebirth of the disaster-stricken areas," Marukawa said.

"This is a suggestion to realise these revival Olympics."

The Miyagi Prefecture could become home to rowing and canoeing events at Tokyo 2020 if controversial plans to move the sports from their original venue at Sea Forest are approved.

A number of cities affected by natural disasters in Japan in recent years are keen on showing the world the recovery they have made during Tokyo 2020.

Former Olympics Minister Toshiaki Endo, who served in the role until August and is a member of the Tokyo 2020 Executive Board, claimed earlier this year that they were looking at the possibility of holding baseball and softball at Fukushima.

In 2011, the earthquake and tsunami caused a nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

The damage caused by the tsunami produced equipment failures and as a result, three nuclear meltdowns occurred, prompting the release of radioactive materials.

It is considered the largest nuclear incident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.