Updated

The national government of Japan has officially backed Tokyo's bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics.

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Tuesday gave its approval of the bid to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games as a means of promoting the development of sport for citizens across the country.

Culture and sports minister Masaharu Nakagawa asked all Cabinet members to help support the bid.

Tokyo, which campaigned for the 2016 Olympics but lost out to Rio de Janeiro, is up against Doha, Qatar; Istanbul, Turkey; Madrid and Rome. The candidate cities will submit their plans for the games to the International Olympic Committee by February next year. The IOC will select the host city in September 2013.