Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe softened his stance Wednesday on the possibility of imposing economic sanctions on North Korea to apply pressure over the abduction issue.

"We hope to work steadily toward resolving the abduction issue," Abe said at a news conference at the prime minister's office. "It is important for North Korea to respond sincerely, but if it does not, we have to think about various things."

Before taking the post of top government spokesman Monday, Abe was vocal in calling for economic sanctions on North Korea if Tokyo judges that it is not acting in good faith in future negotiations with Japan.

Just two weeks ago, when he was acting secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Party, Abe told reporters bilateral talks should not entail negotiations for the sake of buying time and there was no change in his position that Japan must try economic sanctions.

At his Wednesday morning news conference, Abe expressed hope that the talks with North Korea scheduled to begin Thursday in Beijing will produce results on the abduction issue.

"It is naturally desirable for the two governments to hold dialogue with the aim of complete resolution of the abduction issue. I certainly hope (the talks) will produce such an outcome," he said.

Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Yoshinori Katori said at a separate news conference the government has been dealing with North Korea with both "dialogue and pressure" and will consider what is the most effective measure to take following the upcoming talks.

The upcoming meeting will be the first full-fledged bilateral negotiations in 12 months, when representatives met in Pyongyang and mainly discussed the abduction issue.

The talks this time are expected to cover such topics as the abductions, North Korea's nuclear programs, and issues stemming from Japan's 1910-1945 colonial rule.