The capital city of the land of the rising sun has been handed over the 2020 Olympic torch in the 125th session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Tokyo, the city which also sought to host the 2016 Olympic Games, defeated other candidate cities Istanbul and Madrid after two rounds of voting, the official Olympic website - www.olympic.org - said.
Tokyo received 60 votes in the final round against Istanbul, which got only 36.
In the first round, Madrid was tied out with Istanbul at 26 votes.
Japan last hosted the Olympic Games in 1964.
"Congratulations to the city of Tokyo on its election as host of the 2020 Olympic Games," IOC President Jacques Rogge said.
"All three cities were capable of staging excellent games in 2020, but in the end it was Tokyo's bid that resonated the most with the IOC membership, inviting us to 'discover tomorrow' by delivering a well-organised and safe games that will reinforce the Olympic values while demonstrating the benefits of sport to a new generation."
The committee is expected to determine the composition of the 2020 Olympic Games in another meeting at 3:30am Bangladesh time on Monday.
Brazil's Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
