The company will become the official partner in the "Oil, Gas and Electricity supply services" category.

The firm, founded in 1888, are the largest oil company in Japan and its businesses include the exploration, importation, and refining of crude oil; the manufacture and sale of petroleum products, including fuels and lubricants; and other energy-related activities.

ts products are sold under the brand name ENEOS, which is also the name used for its service stations.

The company has also increasingly been investigating more environmentally friendly forms of energy. 

"Although the company has been attributed the category of 'Oil, Gas and Electricity supply services', JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation has recently launched business operations in the vitally important field of hydrogen energy," said Tokyo 2020 President Yoshirō Mori.

"I look forward to an increased awareness of the potential benefits of achieving a 'hydrogen energy society.'

"We very much hope that the company will contribute to promoting and further building momentum in the lead up to the Tokyo 2020 Games through its 11,000 ENEOS-branded service stations across Japan."

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation are the sixth company to become a Gold Partner of Tokyo 2020 ©Tokyo 2020

JX Nippon join previously announced Gold Partners Fujitsu, NEC, Canon, Asahi Breweries and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation.

Tokyo 2020 are reportedly charging each Gold Partner JPY¥15 billion (£80 million/$128 million/€110 million) to be part of the event. 

The target is raise  a total of JPY¥150 billion (£840 million/€1.27 billion/$1.1 billion) in sponsorship to help offset the cost of the Games. 

In addition, since Tokyo 2020 were awarded the Olympics and Paralympics in September 2013 three Japanese companies - Panasonic, Bridgestone Tyres and Toyota - have either renewed or joined The Olympic Partner (TOP) programme.

That makes them worldwide partners of the International Olympic Committee. 

JX Nippon were among the companies affected by the tsunami which hit Japan four years ago when a 145,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Sendai was set ablaze by a magnitude nine earthquake.

Tokyo 2020 will be promoted at ENEOS service stations across Japan ©Getty Images

Nippon Oil, a subsidiary of the company, was formerly a sponsor of the Honda Racing F1 Team and is a current partner of J.League club F.C. Tokyo.

"We consider it a great honour to be given this opportunity to support the 2020 Games and Japan's national Olympic and Paralympic teams as a Tokyo 2020 Gold Partner in the category of 'Oil, Gas and Electricity supply services'," said Yasushi Kimura, JX Nippon chairman. 

"JX Nippon Oil & Energy plans to supply fuel for Games-related vehicles and related facilities with petroleum, gas and electricity.

"By leveraging our extensive network of service stations - Japan's largest - JX Nippon Oil & Energy will contribute to the creation of widespread excitement and momentum for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games."

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