North Korea’s foreign ministry on Tuesday condemned Japan’s move to authorize counterstrike capabilities in its new National Security Strategy (NSS), threatening to respond to Tokyo’s “rearmament” with “actual action.”

“Japan’s adoption of a new security strategy that officially formalizes possession of preemptive strike capabilities against other countries is creating a serious security crisis in the Korean Peninsula and East Asia,” a ministry spokesperson said in a statement released through the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Tokyo maintains its proposed counterstrike capabilities are solely aimed at self-defense in the event of an attack on Japan and are distinct from preemptive