IPC President Andrew Parsons has highlighted survey data indicating a greater awareness of the Paralympics within Japan than there was within Britain at the same relative stage before the London 2012 Games ©Getty Images

With just over a year to go until the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons has cited survey data which shows higher levels of awareness within Japan than in Britain at an equivalent time before London 2012.

The findings were accumulated by a survey on a sample of 3,000 people by Dentsu, the giant Japanese advertising and PR agency.

It comes with the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics opening on August 25 of next year.

"We are now seeing the results of some interesting research," Parsons told insidethegames.

"We have found that the awareness of and interest in the Paralympics in Japan was much higher with two years to go than it was in Britain at the same stage before the London 2012 Paralympics – which is incredible.

"And of course London went on to have a fantastic Paralympics.

"There were questions like 'can you name a single Paralympics figure?' and 'how many Paralympic athletes do you know?' and 'what do you know about Paralympic sport?'

A survey of 3,000 Japanese people showed that 23 per cent could name wheelchair tennis star Shingo Kuneida ©Getty Images
A survey of 3,000 Japanese people showed that 23 per cent could name wheelchair tennis star Shingo Kuneida ©Getty Images

"This result has been achieved because our commercial partners are making such a good job of promoting Paralympic athletes ahead of the Games. 

"So the Japanese know more about Paralympic athletes at this stage than the UK population did.

"Of course Channel 4 and the London Organising Committee went on to do a very good job in that area.

"But this research shows we have a very good foundation to work with as we look ahead a year to the Paralympics."

Data from the Dentsu survey shows that 23 per cent of Japanese people knew about wheelchair tennis player Shingo Kuneida, the former world number one who won Olympic golds at Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

The general figure for awareness of the Tokyo Paralympics was 95.6 per cent, compared to 96.8 per cent for the Tokyo Olympics.

Read the full interview with Andrew Parsons here.