The Japanese designer of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games emblem hit by a controversy over its similarity to a Belgian design said he had never seen the other logo, after the Belgian designer hinted at legal action.

Questions about whether the Tokyo emblem was too close to the logo for Belgium's Theatre de Liege erupted on social media earlier after designer Olivier Debie drew attention to it, with many demanding an explanation. Debie said he was astonished by the resemblance and that the form of the letters was almost identical.

Officials, including Olympics Minister Toshiaki Endo, reiterated that they had carried out exhaustive checks and research on international trademark protection before announcing the emblem.