Abe began playing the xylophone while in elementary school in Tokyo, Japan, studying under Eiichi Asabuki.

[4] Her compositions, including "Michi", "Variations on Japanese Children's Songs", and "Dream of the Cherry Blossoms", have become standards of the marimba repertoire.

In addition to her intensive composing, touring, and recording schedule, Abe has been a lecturer, then professor, at the Toho Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo since 1970.

This modern concert marimba design, with five octaves of range, was developed with Abe in partnership with the Yamaha Corporation over a fifteen-year period (from 1969 to 1984).

[7] In May 2021, Abe was one of 10 new members elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, alongside Marika Field, Katarina Karnéus, Jonas Knutsson, Sten Sandell, Đuro Živković, Richard Sparks, Giancarlo Andretta, Stefan Dohr, and Quincy Jones.