diff --git a/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/comp/Attr.java b/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/comp/Attr.java
--- a/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/comp/Attr.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/comp/Attr.java
@@ -4891,7 +4891,7 @@
          */
         private Type dummyMethodType(JCMethodDecl md) {
             Type restype = syms.unknownType;
-            if (md != null && md.restype.hasTag(TYPEIDENT)) {
+            if (md != null && md.restype != null && md.restype.hasTag(TYPEIDENT)) {
                 JCPrimitiveTypeTree prim = (JCPrimitiveTypeTree)md.restype;
                 if (prim.typetag == VOID)
                     restype = syms.voidType;
@@ -4935,6 +4935,8 @@
             }
             super.visitClassDef(that);
         }
+        
+        private boolean inMethodHeader;
 
         @Override
         public void visitMethodDef(JCMethodDecl that) {
@@ -4942,6 +4944,19 @@
             if (that.sym == null) {
                 that.sym = new MethodSymbol(0, that.name, that.type, syms.noSymbol);
             }
+            scan(that.mods);
+            scan(that.restype);
+            scan(that.typarams);
+            try {
+                inMethodHeader = true;
+                scan(that.recvparam);
+                scan(that.params);
+            } finally {
+                inMethodHeader = false;
+            }
+            scan(that.thrown);
+            scan(that.defaultValue);
+            scan(that.body);
             super.visitMethodDef(that);
         }
 
@@ -4949,7 +4964,7 @@
         public void visitVarDef(JCVariableDecl that) {
             initTypeIfNeeded(that);
             if (that.sym == null) {
-                that.sym = new VarSymbol(0, that.name, that.type, syms.noSymbol);
+                that.sym = new VarSymbol(inMethodHeader ? PARAMETER : 0, that.name, that.type, syms.noSymbol);
                 that.sym.adr = 0;
             }
             super.visitVarDef(that);
diff --git a/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/comp/Flow.java b/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/comp/Flow.java
--- a/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/comp/Flow.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/comp/Flow.java
@@ -1798,7 +1798,7 @@
                 for (List<JCVariableDecl> l = tree.params; l.nonEmpty(); l = l.tail) {
                     JCVariableDecl def = l.head;
                     scan(def);
-                    Assert.check((def.sym.flags() & PARAMETER) != 0, "Method parameter without PARAMETER flag");
+                    Assert.check((def.sym.flags() & PARAMETER) != 0 || def.sym.owner == syms.noSymbol, "Method parameter without PARAMETER flag");
                     /*  If we are executing the code from Gen, then there can be
                      *  synthetic or mandated variables, ignore them.
                      */