diff --git a/core/clear_vars.mk b/core/clear_vars.mk
index a3899154d..343345fd5 100644
--- a/core/clear_vars.mk
+++ b/core/clear_vars.mk
@@ -125,6 +125,8 @@ LOCAL_ADDRESS_SANITIZER:=
 LOCAL_JAR_EXCLUDE_FILES:=
 LOCAL_LINT_FLAGS:=
 LOCAL_SOURCE_FILES_ALL_GENERATED:= # '',true
+# Don't delete the META_INF dir when merging static Java libraries.
+LOCAL_DONT_DELETE_JAR_META_INF:=
 
 # Trim MAKEFILE_LIST so that $(call my-dir) doesn't need to
 # iterate over thousands of entries every time.
diff --git a/core/definitions.mk b/core/definitions.mk
index bc4886c70..94a116c7e 100644
--- a/core/definitions.mk
+++ b/core/definitions.mk
@@ -1437,8 +1437,8 @@ define unzip-jar-files
       exit 1; \
     fi; \
     unzip -qo $$f -d $(2); \
-    (cd $(2) && rm -rf META-INF); \
-  done
+  done \
+  $(if $(PRIVATE_DONT_DELETE_JAR_META_INF),,;rm -rf $(2)/META-INF)
 endef
 
 # Common definition to invoke javac on the host and target.
diff --git a/core/java.mk b/core/java.mk
index 0fccbd36c..66f9a0215 100644
--- a/core/java.mk
+++ b/core/java.mk
@@ -259,6 +259,7 @@ ALL_MODULES.$(LOCAL_MODULE).STUBS := $(full_classes_stubs_jar)
 # via deps on the target that generates the sources.
 $(full_classes_compiled_jar): PRIVATE_JAVACFLAGS := $(LOCAL_JAVACFLAGS)
 $(full_classes_compiled_jar): PRIVATE_JAR_EXCLUDE_FILES := $(LOCAL_JAR_EXCLUDE_FILES)
+$(full_classes_compiled_jar): PRIVATE_DONT_DELETE_JAR_META_INF := $(LOCAL_DONT_DELETE_JAR_META_INF)
 $(full_classes_compiled_jar): $(java_sources) $(java_resource_sources) $(full_java_lib_deps) $(jar_manifest_file) \
 	$(RenderScript_file_stamp) $(proto_java_sources_file_stamp)
 	$(transform-java-to-classes.jar)