diff --git a/arch/arm/mach-shmobile/include/mach/r8a7790.h b/arch/arm/mach-shmobile/include/mach/r8a7790.h
index 9bd6f5c894bbe07a6440f6af00ae8d81fccb6e61..2e919e61fa0d3440c94ced629c6323692c86bc15 100644
--- a/arch/arm/mach-shmobile/include/mach/r8a7790.h
+++ b/arch/arm/mach-shmobile/include/mach/r8a7790.h
@@ -4,5 +4,6 @@
 void r8a7790_add_standard_devices(void);
 void r8a7790_clock_init(void);
 void r8a7790_pinmux_init(void);
+void r8a7790_timer_init(void);
 
 #endif /* __ASM_R8A7790_H__ */
diff --git a/arch/arm/mach-shmobile/setup-r8a7790.c b/arch/arm/mach-shmobile/setup-r8a7790.c
index cfccf6c1001b8738b5ee5a13f779700e50a37ddf..49de2d56f86db50bc18e66dd17ebb5bed986e812 100644
--- a/arch/arm/mach-shmobile/setup-r8a7790.c
+++ b/arch/arm/mach-shmobile/setup-r8a7790.c
@@ -118,6 +118,18 @@ void __init r8a7790_add_standard_devices(void)
 	r8a7790_register_irqc(0);
 }
 
+void __init r8a7790_timer_init(void)
+{
+	void __iomem *cntcr;
+
+	/* make sure arch timer is started by setting bit 0 of CNTCT */
+	cntcr = ioremap(0xe6080000, PAGE_SIZE);
+	iowrite32(1, cntcr);
+	iounmap(cntcr);
+
+	shmobile_timer_init();
+}
+
 #ifdef CONFIG_USE_OF
 void __init r8a7790_add_standard_devices_dt(void)
 {
@@ -132,7 +144,7 @@ static const char *r8a7790_boards_compat_dt[] __initdata = {
 DT_MACHINE_START(R8A7790_DT, "Generic R8A7790 (Flattened Device Tree)")
 	.init_irq	= irqchip_init,
 	.init_machine	= r8a7790_add_standard_devices_dt,
-	.init_time	= shmobile_timer_init,
+	.init_time	= r8a7790_timer_init,
 	.dt_compat	= r8a7790_boards_compat_dt,
 MACHINE_END
 #endif /* CONFIG_USE_OF */