TOKYO (Bloomberg) -- Japan’s government proposed to offer OAO Gazprom $2 billion to help fund construction of a pipeline in exchange for a purchase by the Russian natural-gas exporter of 1 million tons of steel pipe from a Japanese manufacturer, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Saturday.

Russia asked Japan to lend $1 billion with no conditions, and also asked South Korea for support, the paper said without identifying where it obtained the information.