diff --git a/ide/launcher/netbeans.conf b/ide/launcher/netbeans.conf
--- a/ide/launcher/netbeans.conf
+++ b/ide/launcher/netbeans.conf
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 
 # Options used by NetBeans launcher by default, can be overridden by explicit
 # command line switches:
-netbeans_default_options="-J-client -J-Xss2m -J-Xms32m -J-XX:PermSize=32m -J-XX:MaxPermSize=200m -J-Dnetbeans.logger.console=true -J-ea -J-Dapple.laf.useScreenMenuBar=true -J-Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true"
+netbeans_default_options="-J-client -J-Xss2m -J-Xms32m -J-XX:PermSize=32m -J-XX:MaxPermSize=200m -J-Dnetbeans.logger.console=true -J-ea -J-Dapple.laf.useScreenMenuBar=true -J-Dsun.java2d.noddraw=true -J-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8"
 # Note that a default -Xmx is selected for you automatically.
 # You can find this value in var/log/messages.log file in your userdir.
 # The automatically selected value can be overridden by specifying -J-Xmx here
diff --git a/java.j2seproject/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/j2seproject/resources/build-impl.xsl b/java.j2seproject/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/j2seproject/resources/build-impl.xsl
--- a/java.j2seproject/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/j2seproject/resources/build-impl.xsl
+++ b/java.j2seproject/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/j2seproject/resources/build-impl.xsl
@@ -475,6 +475,7 @@
                             </syspropertyset>
                             <formatter type="brief" usefile="false"/>
                             <formatter type="xml"/>
+                            <jvmarg value="-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8"/>
                             <jvmarg line="${{run.jvmargs}}"/>
                         </junit>
                     </sequential>
@@ -582,6 +583,7 @@
                             </xsl:if>
                             <jvmarg line="${{debug-args-line}}"/>
                             <jvmarg value="-Xrunjdwp:transport=${{debug-transport}},address=${{jpda.address}}"/>
+                            <jvmarg value="-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8"/>
                             <jvmarg line="${{run.jvmargs}}"/>
                             <classpath>
                                 <path path="@{{classpath}}"/>
@@ -614,6 +616,7 @@
                             <xsl:if test="/p:project/p:configuration/j2seproject3:data/j2seproject3:explicit-platform">
                                 <xsl:attribute name="jvm">${platform.java}</xsl:attribute>
                             </xsl:if>
+                            <jvmarg value="-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8"/>
                             <jvmarg line="${{run.jvmargs}}"/>
                             <classpath>
                                 <path path="${{run.classpath}}"/>
diff --git a/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/debug-snippet.xml b/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/debug-snippet.xml
--- a/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/debug-snippet.xml
+++ b/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/debug-snippet.xml
@@ -76,6 +76,7 @@
         <java classpath="${classpath-translated}" classname="${classname}" dir="${work.dir}" jvm="${platform.java}" fork="true">
             <jvmarg line="${debug-args-line}"/>
             <jvmarg value="-Xrunjdwp:transport=${debug-transport},address=${jpda.address}"/>
+            <jvmarg value="-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8"/>
             <jvmarg line="${run.jvmargs}" />
             <arg line="${application.args}" />
             <syspropertyset>
diff --git a/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/junit-debug-snippet.xml b/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/junit-debug-snippet.xml
--- a/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/junit-debug-snippet.xml
+++ b/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/junit-debug-snippet.xml
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@
                     <jvmarg line="${debug-args-line}"/>
                     <jvmarg value="-Xrunjdwp:transport=${debug-transport},address=${jpda.address}"/>
                     <jvmarg value="-ea"/>
+                    <jvmarg value="-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8"/>
                     <jvmarg line="${run.jvmargs}"/>
                     <arg value="${classname}"/>
                     <arg value="showoutput=true"/>
diff --git a/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/junit-snippet.xml b/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/junit-snippet.xml
--- a/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/junit-snippet.xml
+++ b/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/junit-snippet.xml
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
                     <test-spec/>
                     <classpath path="${classpath-translated}" />
                     <jvmarg value="-ea"/>
+                    <jvmarg value="-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8"/>
                     <jvmarg line="${run.jvmargs}"/>
                     <formatter type="brief" usefile="false"/>
                     <formatter type="xml"/>
diff --git a/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/run-snippet.xml b/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/run-snippet.xml
--- a/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/run-snippet.xml
+++ b/java.source.ant/src/org/netbeans/modules/java/source/ant/resources/run-snippet.xml
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
         <property name="work.dir" value="${basedir}"/>
         <property name="application.args" value="" />
         <java classpath="${classpath-translated}" classname="${classname}" dir="${work.dir}" jvm="${platform.java}" fork="true">
+            <jvmarg value="-Dfile.encoding=UTF-8"/>
             <jvmarg line="${run.jvmargs}" />
             <arg line="${application.args}" />
             <syspropertyset>