diff --git a/Lib/java/std_vector.i b/Lib/java/std_vector.i
index 6c745aa23..fee33f8c2 100644
--- a/Lib/java/std_vector.i
+++ b/Lib/java/std_vector.i
@@ -7,6 +7,27 @@
 %{
 #include <vector>
 #include <stdexcept>
+#include <climits>
+
+// C++ allows to have up to 2^64-1 items in a vector on 64 bit machines and
+// 2^32-1 even on 32 bit ones, but in Java size() must return a value of type
+// "int" which is limited to signed 32 bit values, i.e. 2^31-1, and there
+// doesn't seem to be any way to represent bigger vectors there.
+//
+// The only thing we can do is to at least detect such situation and throw an
+// exception instead of silently returning the wrong size in this case and we
+// use this helper to convert size_t values to int, instead of just casting
+// them, in order to achieve this.
+namespace {
+int size_as_int(std::size_t sz) {
+    if (sz > static_cast<std::size_t>(INT_MAX)) {
+        throw std::out_of_range("vector size is too big to be representable as int");
+    }
+
+    return static_cast<int>(sz);
+}
+} // anonymous namespace
+
 %}
 
 %define SWIG_STD_VECTOR_MINIMUM_INTERNAL(CTYPE, CREF_TYPE)
@@ -55,6 +76,10 @@
     modCount++;
     doRemoveRange(fromIndex, toIndex);
   }
+
+  public int size() {
+    return doSize();
+  }
 %}
 
     public:
@@ -63,21 +88,22 @@
         typedef CREF_TYPE const_reference;
         vector();
         vector(size_type n);
-        // Note that it returns int, and not size_type, for compatibility with
-        // the signature of size() in Java interface.
-        int size() const;
         size_type capacity() const;
         void reserve(size_type n);
         %rename(isEmpty) empty;
         bool empty() const;
         void clear();
         %extend {
+            int doSize() const {
+                return size_as_int(self->size());
+            }
+
             void doAdd(const value_type& value) {
                 self->push_back(value);
             }
 
             void doAdd(int index, const value_type& value) throw (std::out_of_range) {
-                const int size = int(self->size());
+                const int size = size_as_int(self->size());
                 if (0 <= index && index <= size) {
                     self->insert(self->begin() + index, value);
                 } else {
@@ -85,7 +111,7 @@
                 }
             }
             value_type doRemove(int index) throw (std::out_of_range) {
-                const int size = int(self->size());
+                const int size = size_as_int(self->size());
                 if (0 <= index && index < size) {
                     CTYPE const old_value = (*self)[index];
                     self->erase(self->begin() + index);
@@ -95,14 +121,14 @@
                 }
             }
             CREF_TYPE doGet(int i) throw (std::out_of_range) {
-                int size = int(self->size());
+                const int size = size_as_int(self->size());
                 if (i>=0 && i<size)
                     return (*self)[i];
                 else
                     throw std::out_of_range("vector index out of range");
             }
             value_type doSet(int i, const value_type& val) throw (std::out_of_range) {
-                int size = int(self->size());
+                const int size = size_as_int(self->size());
                 if (i>=0 && i<size) {
                     CTYPE const old_value = (*self)[i];
                     (*self)[i] = val;
@@ -112,7 +138,7 @@
                     throw std::out_of_range("vector index out of range");
             }
             void doRemoveRange(int fromIndex, int toIndex) throw (std::out_of_range) {
-                const int size = int(self->size());
+                const int size = size_as_int(self->size());
                 if (0 <= fromIndex && fromIndex <= toIndex && toIndex <= size) {
                     self->erase(self->begin() + fromIndex, self->begin() + toIndex);
                 } else {