Original series director Ishirô Honda declined Toho's offer to direct this film, opting instead to work with Akira Kurosawa on his film Ran (1985). Honda had been dishearten by what became of the Godzilla series but he did recommend that Kôji Hashimoto be named the film's director. Hashimoto had been Honda's assistant director throughout the 60's and was enthusiastic to make a Godzilla film that returned to the series' true origins, hearkening back to Honda's original film.
Godzilla's height had to be raised from 50 meters to 80 meters in this film. In the original, Godzilla towered over the Tokyo since there were very few tall structures in the city as a result of WWII bombings. In the decades since, the Tokyo skyline grew to include various skyscrapers that would dwarf Godzilla in size. The staff had to make the monster bigger so it could stand out. Subsequent films would increase Godzilla's size to 100 meters.
During Godzilla's rampage, Godzilla makes his way through some of the same locations as the original film. Case in point is the scene in which Godzilla smashes into the Yurakucho Mullion Building after his foot crashes through concrete. Thirty years earlier, this had been site of the old Nichigeki Theater that Godzilla destroyed in the original. In fact the staff had designed it so that the floor Godzilla tears into was actually the location of the newly created Toho Cinemas Nichigeki. Godzilla also makes his way across the Tokyo Expressway, which in the original film, had been a river with a bridge that Godzilla walked over.
Director Kôji Hashimoto consulted Yorihiko Ohsaki, a Doctor of Engineering, on how certain types of buildings would collapse. Ohsaki and his company would turned in a 10cm-thick stack of academic papers detailing the hypothetical demolition of buildings in the Yurakucho and Shinjuku districts of Tokyo.
Originally, veteran actor Akihiko Hirata was intended to portray Dr. Hayashida, but Hirata became seriously ill prior to filming and eventually passed away. (Days before his passing, he expressed a strong interest to have at least a small cameo in the film, but did not make it in time.) Another veteran Toho actor, Yôsuke Natsuki was cast in the role instead. Natsuki later admitted in an interview that he had no idea Hirata was originally meant to play the role, and insisted that he would never have accepted had he known, feeling he could never replace Hirata.
Hiroshi Kamayatsu: Long-haired Christian priest aboard the Shinkansen Bullet Train (while it is being plucked off its tracks by Godzilla), smiling while seeing the monster's visage through the train window (possibly because he sees Godzilla as "God"). Kamayatsu, nicknamed "Monsieur," was a singer/guitarist in the Japanese rock bands The Spiders and Vodka Collins. His scene was cut from the U.S. version, Godzilla 1985 (1985).