diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 65102bd4e4..f8314c0d30 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ before_script:
   - "make reconfig"
   - "cp -pr config.status .ext/include config_2nd"
   - "diff -ru config_1st config_2nd"
-  - "make -t .unicode-tables.time"
+  - "make touch-unicode-files"
   - "make after-update BASERUBY=ruby"
   - "make -s $JOBS"
   - "make update-rubyspec"
diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index 5bd7246bb9..47b24b9189 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ build_script:
   - mkdir %Platform%-mswin_%vs%
   - cd %Platform%-mswin_%vs%
   - ..\win32\configure.bat --without-ext=+,dbm,gdbm,readline --with-opt-dir=/usr/local --with-openssl-dir=%OPENSSL_DIR:\=/%
-  - nmake -t .unicode-tables.time
+  - nmake -l touch-unicode-files
   - nmake -l up
   - nmake -l
   - nmake install-nodoc
diff --git a/common.mk b/common.mk
index df2519f9ba..ce62a752b4 100644
--- a/common.mk
+++ b/common.mk
@@ -744,7 +744,7 @@ $(ENC_MK): $(srcdir)/enc/make_encmake.rb $(srcdir)/enc/Makefile.in $(srcdir)/enc
 .PHONY: check test test-all btest btest-ruby test-basic test-knownbug
 .PHONY: run runruby parse benchmark benchmark-each tbench gdb gdb-ruby
 .PHONY: update-mspec update-rubyspec test-rubyspec
-.PHONY: .unicode-tables.time
+.PHONY: touch-unicode-files
 
 PHONY:
 
@@ -1155,7 +1155,9 @@ $(srcdir)/$(HAVE_BASERUBY:yes=lib/unicode_normalize/tables.rb): \
 $(UNICODE_SRC_DATA_DIR)/$(ALWAYS_UPDATE_UNICODE:yes=.unicode-tables.time): \
 	$(UNICODE_FILES) $(UNICODE_PROPERTY_FILES)
 
-.unicode-tables.time: $(UNICODE_SRC_DATA_DIR)/.unicode-tables.time
+touch-unicode-files:
+	$(MAKEDIRS) $(UNICODE_SRC_DATA_DIR)
+	touch $(UNICODE_SRC_DATA_DIR)/.unicode-tables.time $(UNICODE_DATA_HEADERS)
 
 $(UNICODE_SRC_DATA_DIR)/.unicode-tables.time: $(srcdir)/tool/generic_erb.rb \
 		$(srcdir)/template/unicode_norm_gen.tmpl \