On January 22, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and four newspaper companies signed the Tokyo 2020 Sponsorship Agreement, designating Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo Headquarters, Asahi Shimbun, Nikkei Inc., and Mainichi Shimbun as Official Partners. The contract category is Newspapers.
While the sponsorship follows the principle of "one company per industry," multiple newspapers will coexist in this category as an exception following discussions with the International Olympic Committee.
Following the decision, Yomiuri Shimbun Tokyo Headquarters President Juichi Yamaguchi stated, "We will support the athletes to make this a better Games and also focus on promoting sports for people with disabilities." Masataka Watanabe, President of Asahi Shimbun, commented, "We share the Games' ideals of fair reporting and striving for a peaceful, better society, and we wish to cooperate." Naotoshi Okada, President of Nikkei Inc., stated, "We will convey not only sports but also the dynamic state of Japan's economy and society." Yutaka Asahina, President of Mainichi Newspapers, remarked, "As the only newspaper publisher in Japan producing braille editions, we will dedicate our efforts to supporting the Paralympic movement."
As Official Partners, they will be able to exercise rights including the use of names and marks as partners related to the Japanese Olympic and Paralympic teams for events including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, through the end of December 2020.
