Correct display of characters depends on the JVM and its locale-dependent font configuration. For example, on Linux/x86, in Sun JDK 1.3.1 de_DE works - zh_CN doesn't work IBM JDK 1.3.0 de_DE works - ja_JP, sr_YU, zh_CN don't work Sun JDK 1.4.2 de_DE, ja_JP work - sr_YU, zh_CN don't work