TOKYO: United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon asked Japan on Tuesday to consider sending military engineers to South Sudan to help with nation building efforts as part of a UN mission.

Defence Minister Toshimi Kitazawa was reluctant to offer immediate help, saying Tokyo was still relying on its soldiers to help clear and rebuild the region devastated by the March 11 quake and tsunami.

But he agreed that Japan, which deployed members of the military for work in quake-hit Haiti, could consider sending Self Defense Forces command centre personnel to South Sudan, which gained independence last month.

Ban later told local media the UN still hoped Japan would consider sending engineers to the African country to build badly needed infrastructure.

He earlier made the same request to Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan.

The UN chief is in Japan for a three-day tour and Monday visited areas near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant hit by the March disasters.