Under the 1925 Peace Preservation Law, the Tokkō was especially tasked to investigate and control political groups and ideologies deemed to be a threat to public order,[1] and came to be nicknamed the "thought police" (shisō keisatsu).

[2] Abe quickly made a name for himself in this position by spearheading a vigorous campaign against the Japan Communist Party and suspected sympathizers and supporters from 1932 to 1933, during which time at least 19 people arrested for political crimes died during interrogation while in police custody, including noted proletarian literature movement author Takiji Kobayashi.

He was critical of Japan’s lack of adequate air raid shelters, which he asserted was due to the government’s fear of public reaction and concerns that this would interfere with war production.

In 1956, Abe ran for a seat in the House of Councillors hoping to represent Yamaguchi district for the newly-formed Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), but was defeated due to his unsavory prewar reputation.

In the later 1950s Abe sought to unite right-wing ultranationalist groups under the umbrella of the Council for a New Japan (Shin Nippon Kyōgikai), which he co-founded and chaired, but this effort collapsed in 1959 amid disagreements over how to respond to the massive Anpo protests against the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty.