Abe's wife and son still live in Japan, which on Friday was hit by a huge earthquake and tsunami that caused widespread devastation and loss of life.
The 29-year-old was relieved to hear his family were safe as the magnitude of the quake was such that his home town of Ichikawa, near Tokyo, suffered substantial damage despite being around 300 kilometres away from the epicentre.
Abe said: "Obviously it was hard to hear what happened in Japan but I had to switch my mind on to the game, and I was hoping for a win to provide some good news.
"I was determined to play. Everyone in the squad and the coaching staff were concerned for me but I knew I had to give everything and try not to show my concern in my performance."
Abe joined Leicester from Urawa Red Diamonds last summer and has become a key figure in Sven-Goran Eriksson's side, who kept alive their hopes of securing a play-off place in the npower Championship with victory.
Source: PA
Source: PA