Japan's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it will set up a new division to exclusively deal with issues related to North Korea, as Tokyo aims to better respond to developments on the Korean Peninsula.

The ministry's Northeast Asia Division currently covers both North and South Korea. But it will be separated into two units under the ministry's planned organizational change.

Effective Sunday, the First Northeast Asia Division will deal with South Korea, while North Korean issues will be handled by the Second Northeast Asia Division, according to the ministry.

The breakup comes after the unprecedented U.S.-North Korea summit on June 12 raised hopes of a peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula, as the North's leader Kim Jong Un committed himself to working toward complete denuclearization.

The organizational change is "aimed at strengthening bilateral coordination between Japan and South Korea and addressing the issues of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs and abductions," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said at a press briefing.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has expressed willingness to hold direct talks with North Korea, places priority on resolving Pyongyang's abductions of Japanese nationals in the 1970s and 1980s. North Korea has claimed that the issue has been settled.