Using resource bundler with a specific encoding type

Question

Hi All,
Using resource bundler class in Java one can pass the key and get the appropriate string value for that in appropriate language. These strings can be stored in a class (BuldlerList) or in some file.
My doubt is can I specify the encoding type of the string while passing the key ?
This might be needed in a case like follows. Say I have a Java Swing application for which I want to get the labels in appropriate language. The application is Windows based. The methods in resource buldler class while getting the string value for a key uses platform's default encoding type. So if I store my file containing all the resource bundler in UTF-8 I can't read them properly from an Windows 2000 system having Japanese as the locale. The constraint is that you can never make Windows default platform encoding as UTF-8 (or something equivalent for Unicode). In that case one cannot developed a truly internationalised application in this frame work.
Any comments/suggestion/input will be highly appreciated.
Thanks,
Sourav

Answer 1

I dunno 'bout the bundles BUT u can possiblly use XML
instead.
u can have a attribute type that specifies the encoding
type for the content. This will be a totally application
specific approach BUT it will work.. that much I am sure
of. IF u read this attribute in your application first and
then read the value, in that pre-specified encoding, ur
problem could be solved.
Just like resource bundles, XML files will be stored in
local machines only. The only thing is u need a
JAXP API for processing them.
aXe!