A fire broke out Sunday in the Kadokawa-Daiei movie studio in Chofu, western Tokyo, destroying a soundstage.
The blaze started at around 12:45 a.m. and continued for about 8 1/2 hours, according to the Tokyo Fire Department and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
The No. 3 soundstage, a one-story, 1,067-sq.-meter structure, was destroyed.
Nobody was injured in the fire, investigators said, adding that styrene foam and paint stored in the soundstage building added to the fire's strength.
According to the investigators, a security guard locked the building after studio staff members finished for the day at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday.
About one hour and 15 minutes later, a guard, who was alerted by a security light, found clouds of smoke spewing out of the building, the investigators said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The soundstage was being used for a movie about monstrous creatures that is scheduled to be released next summer, according to Kadokawa-Daiei Studio, which is run by Kadokawa Pictures Inc.
The fire will not affect the release schedule for the movie, Kadokawa Pictures officials said.
