North Korea on Friday accused “heinous war criminal” Japan of plotting to remilitarize and invade other countries, taking aim at Tokyo’s reported plans to develop a next-generation fighter jet with the U.K. and Italy.

State-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) claimed in a commentary that the development of the new aircraft, which is expected to be deployed on a large scale by 2035, is aimed at equipping the Japan Air Self-Defense Force with “preemptive strike capabilities.”