Sir Hugh Robertson, the chairman of the BOA, and chief executive Bill Sweeney met with Tamayo Marukawa at the organisation's London headquarters.

It allowed Marukawa to tap into the knowledge Britain gained from hosting the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics in London.

She was particularly interested in legacy, challenges and the state of readiness with the 2020 Games in the Japanese capital now three-and-a-half years away.

The BOA are also in the process of finalising their pre-Tokyo 2020 training camp, with an announcement due in Spring.

"It was a huge privilege to host the Japanese Olympics Minister and her delegation at the British Olympic Association and we were able to talk over a number of familiar issues having hosted London 2012," said Sir Hugh, who was elected to replace Sebastian Coe as chairman in November.

"The links between London and Tokyo are already very strong and we are hoping to sign prep camp agreements in Japan very soon. 

"Today was a good opportunity to get to know the Minister and her team and reassure them that the challenge she is facing is very familiar from London 2012 and for all Olympic host cities."

Marukawa thanked Sir Hugh for welcoming her to London.

"It was very helpful to understand the state of readiness three-and-a-half years from London 2012 and it was encouraging to hear that despite the challenges the hugely successful Games left a great legacy in the UK and across the world," she said.