--- a/langtools/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/comp/Lower.java	Tue Oct 08 15:33:28 2013 +0200
+++ b/langtools/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/comp/Lower.java	Wed Oct 09 13:06:49 2013 +0200
@@ -2172,6 +2172,18 @@
  * Code for enabling/disabling assertions.
  *************************************************************************/
 
+    private ClassSymbol assertionsDisabledClassCache;
+
+    /**Used to create an auxiliary class to hold $assertionsDisabled for interfaces.
+     */
+    private ClassSymbol assertionsDisabledClass() {
+        if (assertionsDisabledClassCache != null) return assertionsDisabledClassCache;
+
+        assertionsDisabledClassCache = makeEmptyClass(STATIC | SYNTHETIC, outermostClassDef.sym).sym;
+
+        return assertionsDisabledClassCache;
+    }
+
     // This code is not particularly robust if the user has
     // previously declared a member named '$assertionsDisabled'.
     // The same faulty idiom also appears in the translation of
@@ -2182,8 +2194,9 @@
         // Outermost class may be either true class or an interface.
         ClassSymbol outermostClass = outermostClassDef.sym;
 
-        // note that this is a class, as an interface can't contain a statement.
-        ClassSymbol container = currentClass;
+        //only classes can hold a non-public field, look for a usable one:
+        ClassSymbol container = !currentClass.isInterface() ? currentClass :
+                assertionsDisabledClass();
 
         VarSymbol assertDisabledSym =
             (VarSymbol)lookupSynthetic(dollarAssertionsDisabled,
@@ -2208,6 +2221,16 @@
             JCVariableDecl assertDisabledDef = make.VarDef(assertDisabledSym,
                                                    notStatus);
             containerDef.defs = containerDef.defs.prepend(assertDisabledDef);
+
+            if (currentClass.isInterface()) {
+                //need to load the assertions enabled/disabled state while
+                //initializing the interface:
+                JCClassDecl currentClassDef = classDef(currentClass);
+                make_at(currentClassDef.pos());
+                JCStatement dummy = make.If(make.QualIdent(assertDisabledSym), make.Skip(), null);
+                JCBlock clinit = make.Block(STATIC, List.<JCStatement>of(dummy));
+                currentClassDef.defs = currentClassDef.defs.prepend(clinit);
+            }
         }
         make_at(pos);
         return makeUnary(NOT, make.Ident(assertDisabledSym));
@@ -3929,6 +3952,7 @@
             accessConstrTags = null;
             accessed = null;
             enumSwitchMap.clear();
+            assertionsDisabledClassCache = null;
         }
         return translated.toList();
     }