In a social media post Tokujin Yoshioka said: “We thank the medical professionals who fight in the field of infectious diseases and thought about a face shield that can be easily created in an emergency.

“I’d like to share my quick and simple face shield idea for the emergency situation with shortage of medical supplies.

"It only takes three steps to create this face shield; put the template on top of a clear plastic sheet, cut them along the guideline, and attach it to your glasses.”

Yoshioka’s Twitter feed also included a demonstration video.

The  process requires no glueing or stitching.

“We hope that it will be useful to as many medical staff as possible,” said Yoshioka who has made a template freely available for download.

His design for the Olympic Torch was unveiled a year ago, but he revealed he had started thinking about a design as soon as Tokyo were awarded the Olympics in 2013.

He had later visited Fukushima to lead a drawing workshop with children from the areas affected by the 2011 tsunami and earthquake.

“The cherry blossoms they drew were all vibrant as they symbolised the spirit of the people taking steps forward towards reconstruction and projecting hopes for the future," Yoshioka said.

"That experience inspired me to design this Torch.”

The Torches made use of aluminium waste materials from temporary relief housing built in the wake of the disaster.

They were manufactured using the same extrusion technology used for the famous “Bullet” trains in Japan.

The five cylinder design was intended to invoke the “Sakuramon” shape of the cherry blossom described as “Japan’s most familiar and best loved flower,” which was in bloom at the time when the 121 day Relay across the country was scheduled to start on March 26.

Some 10,000 Torches will be used when the Relay is relaunched before the Olympics next year.