"We want to welcome the decisions as a positive move," Abe told reporters in Tokyo.
"We'll closely watch if the move will lead to the complete, verifiable and irreversible abandonment of North Korea's nuclear arms, weapons of mass destruction and missiles," he said, urging Pyongyang to take concrete actions.
The North Korean decisions were made at the Third Plenary Meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea's Seventh Central Committee on Friday, according to a report by the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency on Saturday.
On Tokyo's response, Abe said that Japan and the United States have fully discussed how to deal with possible changes in North Korea's policy. "Based on the discussions, Japan plans to handle the situation (bilaterally) with the United States and (trilaterally) with the United States and South Korea," he added.
News On Japan - Nov 26
Panicked passengers on a Shinkansen bullet train were evacuated at a central Japan station on Friday night, after a plastic bag containing suspicious liquid was found onboard.
Reuters - Nov 26
Japan detected the first case of highly pathogenic H5-type bird flu this season at a poultry farm in the south of the country, public broadcaster NHK reported on Saturday.
News On Japan - Nov 25
Inui Street, the famed autumn walk within the Imperial Palace in central Tokyo, opened to the public from Saturday.
News On Japan - Nov 25
Tofukuji Temple, home to 2,000 maple trees and renowned as one of Kyoto's premier autumn hotspots, features the Tsutenkyo Bridge, and the breathtaking 'sea of autumn leaves'.
News On Japan - Nov 24
The amount of undeclared income by wealthy people in Japan has reached a record high of 98 billion yen, among the worst offenders being scrap gold wholesalers, breeders and yakiniku restaurants, the National Tax Agency announced on Friday.
Total Film - Nov 24
After hitting the big screen in its native Japan on November 3, Godzilla Minus One is about to make its way overseas – and it's a hit with international critics.
News On Japan - Nov 23
Russians continue to be the worst offenders among cars with foreign diplomatic number plates when it comes to not paying off parking fines in Japan.
News On Japan - Nov 23
As Kyoto's autumn foliage reaches its peak, swarms of tourists have converged on the ancient capital, captivated by stunning displays like Wednesday evening's illumination at Kiyomizu Temple.