diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/nls/NLS.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/nls/NLS.java
index 3c0d839df..89a87af9e 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/nls/NLS.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/nls/NLS.java
@@ -74,12 +74,7 @@ public class NLS {
 	 */
 	public static final Locale ROOT_LOCALE = new Locale("", "", ""); //$NON-NLS-1$ //$NON-NLS-2$ //$NON-NLS-3$
 
-	private static final InheritableThreadLocal<NLS> local = new InheritableThreadLocal<NLS>() {
-		@Override
-		protected NLS initialValue() {
-			return new NLS(Locale.getDefault());
-		}
-	};
+	private static final InheritableThreadLocal<NLS> local = new InheritableThreadLocal<>();
 
 	/**
 	 * Sets the locale for the calling thread.
@@ -99,10 +94,19 @@ public class NLS {
 	/**
 	 * Sets the JVM default locale as the locale for the calling thread.
 	 * <p>
-	 * Semantically this is equivalent to <code>NLS.setLocale(Locale.getDefault())</code>.
+	 * Semantically this is equivalent to
+	 * <code>NLS.setLocale(Locale.getDefault())</code>.
 	 */
 	public static void useJVMDefaultLocale() {
-		local.set(new NLS(Locale.getDefault()));
+		useJVMDefaultInternal();
+	}
+
+	// TODO(ms): change signature of public useJVMDefaultLocale() in 5.0 to get
+	// rid of this internal method
+	private static NLS useJVMDefaultInternal() {
+		NLS b = new NLS(Locale.getDefault());
+		local.set(b);
+		return b;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -122,7 +126,11 @@ public class NLS {
 	 *                {@link org.eclipse.jgit.errors.TranslationStringMissingException}
 	 */
 	public static <T extends TranslationBundle> T getBundleFor(Class<T> type) {
-		return local.get().get(type);
+		NLS b = local.get();
+		if (b == null) {
+			b = useJVMDefaultInternal();
+		}
+		return b.get(type);
 	}
 
 	final private Locale locale;