diff --git a/config/ompi_setup_java.m4 b/config/ompi_setup_java.m4
index bf707a89b17..2427f742bc9 100644
--- a/config/ompi_setup_java.m4
+++ b/config/ompi_setup_java.m4
@@ -74,10 +74,22 @@ AC_DEFUN([OMPI_SETUP_JAVA_BINDINGS],[
         # header file needs this file, so we need to check for
         # it/include it in our sources when compiling on Mac).
         AC_CHECK_HEADERS([TargetConditionals.h])
+
+        # dladdr is required to build the full path to libmpi on OS X 10.11 aka El Capitan
+        # OPAL_CHECK_PACKAGE([mpi_java], [dlfcn.h], [dl], [dladdr], [], [], [], [OMPI_HAVE_DLADDR=1], [OMPI_HAVE_DLADDR=0])
+        #AC_LINK_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[#include <dlfcn.h> ]],
+                                        #[[Dl_info info; dladdr((void *)0, &info);]])],
+                       #[OMPI_HAVE_DLADDR=1],
+                       #[OMPI_HAVE_DLADDR=0])
+        AC_CHECK_TYPE([Dl_info], [OMPI_HAVE_DLADDR=1], [OMPI_HAVE_DLADDR=0], [[#include <dlfcn.h>]])
+
     else
         AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
         WANT_MPI_JAVA_SUPPORT=0
+        OMPI_HAVE_DLADDR=0
     fi
+    AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([OMPI_HAVE_DLADDR], [$OMPI_HAVE_DLADDR],
+                       [do we have dladdr])
     AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED([OMPI_WANT_JAVA_BINDINGS], [$WANT_MPI_JAVA_SUPPORT],
                        [do we want java mpi bindings])
     AM_CONDITIONAL(OMPI_WANT_JAVA_BINDINGS, test "$WANT_MPI_JAVA_SUPPORT" = "1")
diff --git a/ompi/mpi/java/c/Makefile.am b/ompi/mpi/java/c/Makefile.am
index 95615ea41f8..a0a5c6ac980 100644
--- a/ompi/mpi/java/c/Makefile.am
+++ b/ompi/mpi/java/c/Makefile.am
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 # -*- makefile -*-
 #
 # Copyright (c) 2011-2013 Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
-# Copyright (c) 2012	Oracle and/or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2012      Oracle and/or its affiliates.  All rights reserved.
 # Copyright (c) 2015      Los Alamos National Security, LLC. All rights
 #                         reserved.
+# Copyright (c) 2015      Research Organization for Information Science
+#                         and Technology (RIST). All rights reserved.
 # $COPYRIGHT$
 #
 # Additional copyrights may follow
@@ -44,7 +46,7 @@ libmpi_java_la_SOURCES = \
 	mpi_Status.c \
 	mpi_Win.c
 
-libmpi_java_la_LIBADD = $(top_builddir)/ompi/libmpi.la
+libmpi_java_la_LIBADD = -ldl $(top_builddir)/ompi/libmpi.la
 libmpi_java_la_LDFLAGS = -version-info $(libmpi_java_so_version)
 
 endif
diff --git a/ompi/mpi/java/c/mpi_MPI.c b/ompi/mpi/java/c/mpi_MPI.c
index 5b3a39e1368..a8bb4c4b710 100644
--- a/ompi/mpi/java/c/mpi_MPI.c
+++ b/ompi/mpi/java/c/mpi_MPI.c
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@
  *                         reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2015      Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2015      Intel, Inc. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2015      Research Organization for Information Science
+ *                         and Technology (RIST). All rights reserved.
  * $COPYRIGHT$
  *
  * Additional copyrights may follow
@@ -64,6 +66,9 @@
 #endif
 #include <dlfcn.h>
 #include <poll.h>
+#if HAVE_LIBGEN_H
+#include <libgen.h>
+#endif
 
 #include "opal/util/output.h"
 #include "opal/datatype/opal_convertor.h"
@@ -125,8 +130,26 @@ OBJ_CLASS_INSTANCE(ompi_java_buffer_t,
 jint JNI_OnLoad(JavaVM *vm, void *reserved)
 {
     libmpi = dlopen("libmpi." OPAL_DYN_LIB_SUFFIX, RTLD_NOW | RTLD_GLOBAL);
-
-    if(libmpi == NULL)
+#if OMPI_HAVE_DLADDR && HAVE_LIBGEN_H
+    /*
+     * OS X El Capitan does not propagate DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH to children any more
+     * so if previous dlopen failed, try to open libmpi in the same directory
+     * than the current libmpi_java
+     */
+    if(NULL == libmpi) {
+        Dl_info info;
+        if(0 != dladdr((void *)JNI_OnLoad, &info)) {
+            char libmpipath[OPAL_PATH_MAX];
+            char *libmpijavapath = strdup(info.dli_fname);
+            if (NULL != libmpijavapath) {
+                snprintf(libmpipath, OPAL_PATH_MAX-1, "%s/libmpi." OPAL_DYN_LIB_SUFFIX, dirname(libmpijavapath));
+                free(libmpijavapath);
+                libmpi = dlopen(libmpipath, RTLD_NOW | RTLD_GLOBAL);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+#endif
+    if(NULL == libmpi)
     {
         fprintf(stderr, "Java bindings failed to load libmpi: %s\n",dlerror());
         exit(1);