Exceptions: ExceptionInInitializerError wraps a failure from a static initializer

If a static field initializer or static block throws, the class fails to load and the JVM reports it as an ExceptionInInitializerError, an Error rather than an Exception, with the real cause reachable via getCause.

Code

class Broken {
    static final int VALUE = 10 / Integer.parseInt("0");
}
try {
    int v = Broken.VALUE;
    System.out.println("Unreachable: " + v);
} catch (ExceptionInInitializerError e) {
    System.out.println(e.getClass().getSimpleName() + " caused by " + e.getCause().getClass().getSimpleName() + ": " + e.getCause().getMessage());
}

Output

ExceptionInInitializerError caused by ArithmeticException: / by zero