U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the Japanese government will share with the international community invaluable experiences learned after its recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters.

Mr. Ban on Monday travelled to Fukushima, Japan, where he toured the evacuation zone and spoke to about 300 people removed from their homes around the crippled nuclear plant, urging them to persevere. After the visit, the U.N. chief told a group of high school students that the whole world supports them in their ordeal.

Mr. Ban later travelled to Tokyo where he met with Prime Minister Naoto Kan. After the meeting Mr. Ban said Japan would share invaluable experiences learned from the tragedy, particularly in the areas of disaster reduction and preparedness.

The secretary general has convened a nuclear safety summit for the UN General Assembly in September.

About 85,000 people are not able to return to their homes surrounding the Fukushima plant because of radiation in the air and soil. The tsunami wiped out cooling systems at the plant, and three of its reactors suffered core meltdowns.

It was the world's worst nuclear accident since the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, and has caused countries around the world to re-evaluate their plans for nuclear power.