TOKYO, July 2  -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Wednesday that he will decide whether to lift some sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) depending on the latter's attitude towards reinvestigation into its past abductions issues.

"I will see if North Korea (DPRK) is sincere," Abe said during a one-day trip to Iwate Prefecture, northeastern Japan, to see how recovery work has progressed in the prefecture since the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March 2011.

Japanese and DPRK diplomats met in Beijing on Tuesday to discuss Pyongyang's investigation into its past abductions of Japanese nationals. According to Japan's Kyodo News agency, Japanese delegate head Junichi Ihara will brief Abe on Wednesday night on the outcome of his talks with the DPRK.

Abe may make a decision on the sanctions later Wednesday after listening report from Ihara, director general of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau at the Foreign Ministry, Kyodo said.

In May, the two sides agreed in Sweden that Japan would ease unilateral sanctions against the DPRK if positive steps are taken to resolve the decades-old abduction issue.