Police believe a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fire-engulfs-world-heritage-castle-in-japans-okinawa-258989">fire that tore through</a> World Heritage-listed Shuri Castle in Japan's southern-most island of Okinawa this week was not likely to have been caused by arson, Kyodo news agency reported on late Friday, citing sources.

In analysing the evidence, such as surveillance footage at the destroyed castle, local police have found no traces of intrusion into the castle before the fire breaking out, Kyodo reported, citing unnamed investigators.

The blaze was believed to have started in the main hall early on Thursday morning, public broadcaster NHK said. The fire was put out nearly 12 hours later, but by then most of the wooden castle's major buildings had been reduced to charred skeletons.

A spokesman at the main police station at Naha, the capital city of Okinawa prefecture, said investigations are still going on and the police have not excluded any possibilities. "As we are still in the middle of the investigation, we can't say anything further," he said.

Shuri Castle, once a palace and cultural heart of the Ryukyu Kingdom which flourished from the 15th to 19th century, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000 and was also a scheduled stop on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic torch relay route.

Police believe a fire that tore through World Heritage-listed Shuri Castle in Japan's southern-most island of Okinawa this week was not likely to have been caused by arson, Kyodo news agency reported on late Friday, citing sources.

Police believe a fire that tore through World Heritage-listed Shuri Castle in Japan's southern-most island of Okinawa this week was not likely to have been caused by arson, Kyodo news agency reported on late Friday, citing sources. In analysing the evidence, such as surveillance footage at the destroyed castle, local police have found no traces of intrusion into the castle before the fire breaking out, Kyodo reported, citing unnamed investigators. The blaze was believed to have started in the main hall early on Thursday morning, public broadcaster NHK said. The fire was put out nearly 12 hours later, but by then most of the wooden castle's major buildings had been reduced to charred skeletons. A spokesman at the main police station at Naha, the capital city of Okinawa prefecture, said investigations are still going on and the police have not excluded any possibilities. "As we are still in the middle of the investigation, we can't say anything further," he said. Shuri Castle, once a palace and cultural heart of the Ryukyu Kingdom which flourished from the 15th to 19th century, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2000 and was also a scheduled stop on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic torch relay route.

Police believe Japan's castle fire unlikely caused by arson: Report

A fire has spread among structures at Shuri Castle on Japan's southern island of Okinawa, nearly destroying the UNESCO World Heritage site.

Historic UNESCO heritage Japanese castle on fire

A fire tore through Japan's World Heritage-listed Shuri Castle on Thursday, reducing the main hall of the more than 500-year-old landmark to a skeleton.

Emergency responders on the southern island of Okinawa received the first call around 2:47 am&nbsp;(1747 GMT), public broadcaster NHK said, and firefighters were still battling the flames into the daylight hours.

"The main hall has burned down and the castle's dragon monuments have been blackened," Japanese media quoted Mikiko Shiroma, mayor of Naha city where the castle is located, as saying.

"This is truly regrettable."

The wooden castle is painted bright red and enclosed by curved stone walls. It sits on a hill overlooking Naha.

The fire engulfed the popular tourist attraction in the middle of its annual mid-autumn festival. The castle was also a scheduled stop on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic torch relay route.

The city's fire department said that while the castle had exterior sprinkler systems, its halls were not so equipped as this was not required under local fire codes.

Shuri Castle has been destroyed by fire several times, most recently in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.

After World War 2, it served as a university campus until the mid-1970s. Following a reconstruction, it re-opened as a national park in 1992 and was designated a World Heritage site in 2000.

In addition to the main hall, the north and south halls have been destroyed, NHK said.

A fire tore through Japan's World Heritage-listed Shuri Castle on Thursday, reducing the main hall of the more than 500-year-old landmark to a skeleton. Emergency responders on the southern island of Okinawa received the first call around 2:47 am (1747 GMT), public broadcaster NHK said, and firefighters were still battling the flames into the daylight hours.

A fire tore through Japan's World Heritage-listed Shuri Castle on Thursday, reducing the main hall of the more than 500-year-old landmark to a skeleton. Emergency responders on the southern island of Okinawa received the first call around 2:47 am (1747 GMT), public broadcaster NHK said, and firefighters were still battling the flames into the daylight hours. "The main hall has burned down and the castle's dragon monuments have been blackened," Japanese media quoted Mikiko Shiroma, mayor of Naha city where the castle is located, as saying. "This is truly regrettable." The wooden castle is painted bright red and enclosed by curved stone walls. It sits on a hill overlooking Naha. The fire engulfed the popular tourist attraction in the middle of its annual mid-autumn festival. The castle was also a scheduled stop on the 2020 Tokyo Olympic torch relay route. The city's fire department said that while the castle had exterior sprinkler systems, its halls were not so equipped as this was not required under local fire codes. Shuri Castle has been destroyed by fire several times, most recently in the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. After World War 2, it served as a university campus until the mid-1970s. Following a reconstruction, it re-opened as a national park in 1992 and was designated a World Heritage site in 2000. In addition to the main hall, the north and south halls have been destroyed, NHK said.

Fire engulfs Japan's World Heritage-listed Shuri Castle

A major fire devastated a historic Japanese castle on the southern island of Okinawa on Thursday morning, destroying large parts of the World Heritage site's complex, local authorities said.

The Shuri castle is a key part of a complex dating back to the Ryukyu Kingdom, and is believed to have been in use from around the 1400s. Most of the current structures are reconstructions based on original plans and photos of the old castle.

"All the (three) main buildings have burnt down, with nothing left behind," Daisuke Furugen, an official with the local Naha fire department, told AFP.

"Efforts to extinguish the fire are continuing, with 30 fire engines and some 100 firefighters involved."

"We have no reports of injuries," he added.

The blaze started before 3:00 am on Thursday morning, with the cause unknown as yet.

It started in the elaborate main building of the complex, a grand red structure with traditional tiling on the roof, and spread quickly to nearby buildings, officials said.

Television footage showed large orange flames engulfing the castle before sunrise, with daylight revealing the extensive damage done to the site. In some cases little more than charred and smoking wood was left behind.

"I am extremely saddened by this. I am utterly in shock," Naha Mayor Mikiko Shiroma told reporters.

"We have lost our symbol."

"Naha city will make our greatest possible efforts to do everything in our power" to deal with the fire and its aftermath, she pledged earlier, during an emergency meeting on the fire.

'Symbol of Okinawa'&nbsp;

"It's sad. It's hard to put the feeling into words," a local resident told national broadcaster NHK.

"I feel hollowed out... It's been a symbol of Okinawa."

Officials said a festival that began on the 27th was being held at the site and preparatory work for some of the event had been ongoing up until 1am, hours before the blaze erupted.&nbsp;

However, it was not immediately clear whether there was a link to the fire.

The complex was largely destroyed during World War II, when the headquarters of the Japanese army was dug underneath the monument.

But it was extensively restored, with the work on the main hall based on scale drawings and photographs taken before the destruction, as well as extensive archaeological excavation.

The complex reopened as a national park in 1992.

Thanks to the faithful nature of the reconstruction, the site along with the remaining ruins was registered along with other Ryukyu sites in the region as a World Heritage Site in 2000.

"Five hundred years of Ryukyuan history (12th-17th century) are represented by this group of sites and monuments," the entry on the UNESCO website explains.

"The ruins of the castles, on imposing elevated sites, are evidence for the social structure over much of that period, while the sacred sites provide mute testimony to the rare survival of an ancient form of religion into the modern age."

The reconstructed main hall of the Shuri castle, in particular, is praised as "a great monument symbolising the pride of the Ryukyu people".

The facility's Shurei-mon Gate, with its striking red-tiled roof, was featured on a special banknote issued in 2000 when the G8 summit was hosted in Okinawa.

And the Olympic torch relay for next year's Tokyo Summer Games was due to pass by the site as it travels around the country in 2020.

Japan is dotted with historic castle complexes, most of which are careful reconstructions of original buildings.

Several have suffered damage from natural disasters in recent decades, including Kumamoto Castle in southern Japan, which was badly affected by a series of devastating earthquakes.

A major fire devastated a historic Japanese castle on the southern island of Okinawa on Thursday morning, destroying large parts of the World Heritage site's complex, local authorities said.

A major fire devastated a historic Japanese castle on the southern island of Okinawa on Thursday morning, destroying large parts of the World Heritage site's complex, local authorities said. The Shuri castle is a key part of a complex dating back to the Ryukyu Kingdom, and is believed to have been in use from around the 1400s. Most of the current structures are reconstructions based on original plans and photos of the old castle. "All the (three) main buildings have burnt down, with nothing left behind," Daisuke Furugen, an official with the local Naha fire department, told AFP. "Efforts to extinguish the fire are continuing, with 30 fire engines and some 100 firefighters involved." "We have no reports of injuries," he added. The blaze started before 3:00 am on Thursday morning, with the cause unknown as yet. It started in the elaborate main building of the complex, a grand red structure with traditional tiling on the roof, and spread quickly to nearby buildings, officials said. Television footage showed large orange flames engulfing the castle before sunrise, with daylight revealing the extensive damage done to the site. In some cases little more than charred and smoking wood was left behind. "I am extremely saddened by this. I am utterly in shock," Naha Mayor Mikiko Shiroma told reporters. "We have lost our symbol." "Naha city will make our greatest possible efforts to do everything in our power" to deal with the fire and its aftermath, she pledged earlier, during an emergency meeting on the fire. 'Symbol of Okinawa' "It's sad. It's hard to put the feeling into words," a local resident told national broadcaster NHK. "I feel hollowed out... It's been a symbol of Okinawa." Officials said a festival that began on the 27th was being held at the site and preparatory work for some of the event had been ongoing up until 1am, hours before the blaze erupted. However, it was not immediately clear whether there was a link to the fire. The complex was largely destroyed during World War II, when the headquarters of the Japanese army was dug underneath the monument. But it was extensively restored, with the work on the main hall based on scale drawings and photographs taken before the destruction, as well as extensive archaeological excavation. The complex reopened as a national park in 1992. Thanks to the faithful nature of the reconstruction, the site along with the remaining ruins was registered along with other Ryukyu sites in the region as a World Heritage Site in 2000. "Five hundred years of Ryukyuan history (12th-17th century) are represented by this group of sites and monuments," the entry on the UNESCO website explains. "The ruins of the castles, on imposing elevated sites, are evidence for the social structure over much of that period, while the sacred sites provide mute testimony to the rare survival of an ancient form of religion into the modern age." The reconstructed main hall of the Shuri castle, in particular, is praised as "a great monument symbolising the pride of the Ryukyu people". The facility's Shurei-mon Gate, with its striking red-tiled roof, was featured on a special banknote issued in 2000 when the G8 summit was hosted in Okinawa. And the Olympic torch relay for next year's Tokyo Summer Games was due to pass by the site as it travels around the country in 2020. Japan is dotted with historic castle complexes, most of which are careful reconstructions of original buildings. Several have suffered damage from natural disasters in recent decades, including Kumamoto Castle in southern Japan, which was badly affected by a series of devastating earthquakes.

Fire engulfs World Heritage castle in Japan's Okinawa

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Police believe Japan's castle fire unlikely caused by arson: Report

Historic UNESCO heritage Japanese castle on fire

Fire engulfs Japan's World Heritage-listed Shuri Castle

Fire engulfs World Heritage castle in Japan's Okinawa