A massive fire broke out at a Japanese steel plant near Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Monday.

"A fire broke out from a two-metre cooling tower," AFP quoted a fire official as saying.

Plumes of thick black smoke and flames were seen shooting up into the air from the plant, which is owned by steel giant Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal.

The incident at the steel plant occurred hours after a blast at a warehouse at a US military post near Tokyo triggered fire. The blast occurred at a building at the US Army Sagami General Depot in Sagamihara city, according to reports.

It is, however, unclear if the two incidents are linked. "We do not know any details at this point," a police spokesman told AFP.

Check the photos of the blaze and smoke coming out of the steel plant: