Mr Jenkins disappeared during army service in South Korea in 1965

He was speaking after meeting Japan's Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.

Earlier, the US stressed it was intent on pursuing 64-year-old Charles Jenkins despite indications to the contrary.

Mr Jenkins has been living in North Korea since the 1960s, previously refusing to join his wife in Japan for fear of being turned over to the US.

He decided to go ahead with the trip to Japan after signs the US would not seek custody while he was in hospital.

Mr Baker said on Saturday that Ms Kawaguchi told him Mr Jenkins' condition was "serious".

The minister asked the US to "consider the humanitarian aspects of the case," said Mr Baker in a statement faxed by the US Embassy.

"I acknowledged to Foreign Minister Kawaguchi that the US is sympathetic to his health condition and that Sgt Jenkins' medical condition may delay our request for his transfer to US custody."

Different message

On Thursday, a different message was coming out of Washington.

"Our view is that Sgt Jenkins... is a deserter from the US Army. He has been charged with extremely serious offences," said US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

The Pentagon has charged Mr Jenkins with desertion and five other related charges under the Uniform Code of Military Justice Jenkins' extraordinary story

"Once he is in Japan, he becomes subject to the terms of the US-Japan status of forces agreement and falls under the authority of the US military," he said.

Asked whether Washington would give priority to his medical treatment, Mr Boucher said: "I think we'll just have to see how the medical situation evolves.

"We're going to take this one step at a time and see what happens."

Earlier on Thursday, Mr Baker had said his government was "sympathetic" to Mr Jenkins' health problems, and Japanese officials said they did not expect Washington to press for custody while he was being treated.

Mr Jenkins was due to be taken to a hospital in Tokyo upon his arrival on Sunday. He reportedly needs urgent medical attention for a serious stomach condition, following surgery in Pyongyang.

"It's an emergency measure for the purpose of saving human life. We are not saying (Jenkins) is in a critical condition, but we cannot leave him as he is now," said Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda.

Family reunion

Mr Jenkins is currently in Jakarta - the venue of a dramatic reunion last week with his Japanese wife, Hitomi Soga.

Ms Soga, who was kidnapped by North Korean secret agents in the 1970s, met and married Mr Jenkins in Pyongyang in 1980. They had not seen each other since 2002, when Ms Soga was allowed to return to Japan.

Jakarta was chosen as a reunion venue because Indonesia has no extradition treaty with Washington.

Mr Jenkins has indicated he would like to move to Japan permanently to be with his wife and their two daughters.

He has been in North Korea since 1965, after disappearing from patrol in South Korea near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). He told his platoon he was going to investigate a noise and never came back.