Japan will on March 31 deploy homegrown longer-range missiles in the country for the first time, the Defense Ministry announced Monday, as part of its “counterstrike capability” to deter enemies — and potentially strike far-away targets.

Earlier in the day, launchers and other equipment related to the country’s domestically made Type-12 surface-to-ship extended-range missiles arrived at the Ground Self-Defense Force’s Camp Kengun in the city of Kumamoto in preparation for their deployment.

The deployment, which the Defense Ministry moved forward by one year, comes as the Chinese military ramps up its training around Japan’s far-flung islands near Taiwan and continues to exercise even further from China’s periphery and well into the Pacific Ocean. The decision to deploy the missiles also comes as North Korea continues to refine its increasingly sophisticated missile and nuclear programs.

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