diff --git a/WHATSNEW b/WHATSNEW
index 1d2ea3e8f..3c82ecc50 100644
--- a/WHATSNEW
+++ b/WHATSNEW
@@ -28,6 +28,9 @@ Fixed bugs:
    system properties from the command line (or from a property file).
    Bugzilla Report 51792
    
+ * <javac> by default fails when run on JDK 8.
+   Bugzilla Report 53347.
+
 Other changes:
 --------------
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/CompilerAdapterFactory.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/CompilerAdapterFactory.java
index da7d1742b..040460077 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/CompilerAdapterFactory.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/compilers/CompilerAdapterFactory.java
@@ -120,7 +120,8 @@ public final class CompilerAdapterFactory {
                 || compilerType.equalsIgnoreCase("javac1.4")
                 || compilerType.equalsIgnoreCase("javac1.5")
                 || compilerType.equalsIgnoreCase("javac1.6")
-                || compilerType.equalsIgnoreCase("javac1.7")) {
+                || compilerType.equalsIgnoreCase("javac1.7")
+                || compilerType.equalsIgnoreCase("javac1.8")) {
                 // does the modern compiler exist?
                 if (doesModernCompilerExist()) {
                     return new Javac13();