Warren Buffett says Japan quake a 'buying opportunity'

"I'm not looking at Japan's economic future differently from 10 days ago... extraordinary events offer (a) buying opportunity," he told reporters.

Buffett, the chairman of investment firm Berkshire Hathaway, was visiting South Korea to attend a ground-breaking ceremony for a local unit of Israel's Iscar Metalworking Companies, 80 percent owned by Berkshire Hathaway.

Japan's Nikkei index lost around 10 percent in the week following the devastating March 11 quake and tsunami.

Buffett, however, urged against selling Japanese stock -- markets were closed in Tokyo on Monday -- and said Japan would recover relatively quickly, Yonhap news agency said.

The disaster, which has left 8,649 people dead and 13,262 missing, could cost the Japanese economy up to $235 billion, the World Bank said Monday.

Growth, however, should pick up in subsequent quarters "as reconstruction efforts, which could last five years, accelerate", it said.