Fewer than a third of respondents to a survey carried out by Japan's Reconstruction Agency said they were "grateful for the reconstruction support or believed the Games sent a message to the world that reconstruction is taking place", per Japanese news agency Kyodo, which first reported on the study.

Its results were were published in a Government report but not given prominence, Kyodo said, instead found in the attached materials.

Just 29.8 per cent of the 4,000 respondents answered positively to the question about being grateful for reconstruction support or believing the Olympics showed reconstruction was taking place, while 38.8 per cent answered, "I don't think it did much" or "I don't think so".

When asked about their opinion about the best thing from the Olympics, 39.6 per cent answered "nothing in particular".

The survey asked 1,000 residents each from the Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, plus 1,000 people from Tokyo.

Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate were hit hardest by the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The main report focused on positives such as how Fukushima-produced hydrogen was used in the Torch Relay and how the Athletes' Village served food from the disaster-hit region.

The report claimed that the Olympics "showed the world how recovery is being accomplished and how we are tackling the issues that promote reconstruction", as reported by Kyodo.

The Olympic Torch Relay's 121-day journey across Japan began in Fukushima, at the J-Village national football training centre.

Fukushima was also used to stage some Olympic baseball and softball matches, but spectators were not allowing owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tokyo 2020 released a short film which depicted how sport had helped the recovery from the deadly earthquake and tsunami, while a special Recovery and Reconstruction Games booth was established at the Main Press Centre to offer more information on organisers' framing of a "Reconstruction" Olympics and Paralympics.

Leaving long-term benefits for the Tōhoku region was often presented as a key aspect of Tokyo 2020's legacy, but these survey results suggest locals do not believe it has been achieved.

The Great East Japan Earthquake was the most powerful ever recorded in Japan, with a magnitude of 9.0 to 9.1 on the Richter scale and an epicentre 72 kilometres off the coast.

It triggered tsunami waves that reached heights of up to 40.5 metres, travelled at 700km per hour and reached up to 10km inland, officially killing 19,747 people.

More than 2,500 are still missing.

The tsunami also caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, primarily the meltdowns of three of its reactors and the discharge of radioactive water in Fukushima.

Tokyo 2020, dubbed the "Recovery and Reconstruction Games", sought to "help drive forward the vigorous reconstruction efforts undertaken in the stricken areas and to bring hope to local children through the power of sports", according to organisers.

The final bill for the Games was ¥1,423.8 billion (£8.51 billion/$10.45 billion/€9.91 billion) - twice as much as budgeted when Japan was awarded the event.

Tokyo 2020 had to be delayed by a year because of the coronavirus pandemic.