diff --git a/make/build.xml b/make/build.xml
index ac1b1ed5e4339976401c81b006ea5f007e281042..c49120597529c0dac7faba066fa776d1bc424971 100644
--- a/make/build.xml
+++ b/make/build.xml
@@ -83,6 +83,16 @@
     
     <!-- Standard property values, if not overriden by earlier settings. -->
     <property file="${make.dir}/build.properties"/> 
+
+    <!-- launcher.java is used in the launcher scripts provided to run
+	the tools' jar files.  If it has not already been set, then
+	default it to use ${target.java.home}, if available, otherwise
+	quietly default to simply use "java". -->
+    <condition property="launcher.java" 
+	value="${target.java.home}/bin/java" else="java">
+	<isset property="target.java.home"/>
+    </condition>
+
     
     <!-- Standard target to build deliverables for JDK build. -->
 
@@ -397,7 +407,7 @@
             <attribute name="classes.dir" default="${build.classes.dir}"/>
             <attribute name="gensrc.dir" default="${build.gensrc.dir}"/>
             <attribute name="lib.dir" default="${dist.lib.dir}"/>
-            <attribute name="java" default="java"/>
+            <attribute name="java" default="${launcher.java}"/>
             <attribute name="javac.bootclasspath" default="${build.bootstrap.dir}/classes"/>
             <attribute name="javac.java.home" default="${boot.java.home}"/>
             <attribute name="javac.source" default="${javac.source}"/>
diff --git a/src/share/bin/launcher.sh-template b/src/share/bin/launcher.sh-template
index 3813678395a68c439f8997724d9eb14c1d652f3d..c62af2e9b947c95d2d6a3eedf5261b8722a30d0f 100644
--- a/src/share/bin/launcher.sh-template
+++ b/src/share/bin/launcher.sh-template
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ if [ "$LANGTOOLS_USE_BOOTCLASSPATH" != "no" ]; then
 fi
 
 # tools currently assumes that assertions are enabled in the launcher
-ea=-ea:com.sun.tools
+ea=-ea:com.sun.tools...
 
 # Any parameters starting with -J are passed to the JVM.
 # All other parameters become parameters of #PROGRAM#.