diff -r 67b01d295cd2 -r f72c9c5aeaef src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/code/Symbol.java
--- a/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/code/Symbol.java	Wed Dec 19 11:29:56 2012 +0000
+++ b/src/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/code/Symbol.java	Sun Dec 16 11:09:36 2012 +0100
@@ -83,13 +83,13 @@
      *  Attributes of class symbols should be accessed through the accessor
      *  method to make sure that the class symbol is loaded.
      */
-    public List<Attribute.Compound> getAnnotationMirrors() {
-        return Assert.checkNonNull(annotations.getAttributes());
+    public List<Attribute.Compound> getRawAttributes() {
+        return annotations.getAttributes();
     }
 
     /** Fetch a particular annotation from a symbol. */
     public Attribute.Compound attribute(Symbol anno) {
-        for (Attribute.Compound a : getAnnotationMirrors()) {
+        for (Attribute.Compound a : getRawAttributes()) {
             if (a.type.tsym == anno) return a;
         }
         return null;
@@ -447,6 +447,14 @@
     }
 
     /**
+     * This is the implementation for {@code
+     * javax.lang.model.element.Element.getAnnotationMirrors()}.
+     */
+    public final List<Attribute.Compound> getAnnotationMirrors() {
+        return getRawAttributes();
+    }
+
+    /**
      * @deprecated this method should never be used by javac internally.
      */
     @Deprecated
@@ -662,15 +670,21 @@
             return flags_field;
         }
 
-        public List<Attribute.Compound> getAnnotationMirrors() {
+        @Override
+        public List<Attribute.Compound> getRawAttributes() {
             if (completer != null) complete();
             if (package_info != null && package_info.completer != null) {
                 package_info.complete();
-                if (annotations.isEmpty()) {
-                    annotations.setAttributes(package_info.annotations);
+                mergeAttributes();
             }
+            return super.getRawAttributes();
+        }
+
+        private void mergeAttributes() {
+            if (annotations.isEmpty() &&
+                !package_info.annotations.isEmpty()) {
+                annotations.setAttributes(package_info.annotations);
             }
-            return Assert.checkNonNull(annotations.getAttributes());
         }
 
         /** A package "exists" if a type or package that exists has
@@ -770,9 +784,10 @@
             return members_field;
         }
 
-        public List<Attribute.Compound> getAnnotationMirrors() {
+        @Override
+        public List<Attribute.Compound> getRawAttributes() {
             if (completer != null) complete();
-            return Assert.checkNonNull(annotations.getAttributes());
+            return super.getRawAttributes();
         }
 
         public Type erasure(Types types) {