diff --git a/icu4j/build.xml b/icu4j/build.xml
index 7424c7395599..0556595260d7 100644
--- a/icu4j/build.xml
+++ b/icu4j/build.xml
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@
         </icu-junit>
     </target>
 
-    <target name="translitCheck" depends="info, core, translit, langdata, translit-tests" description="Run the ICU4J Translit test suite">
+    <target name="translitCheck" depends="info, core, translit, langdata, core-tests, translit-tests" description="Run the ICU4J Translit test suite">
         <antcall target="_translitCheck"/>
         <fail message="test failed" if="icu-junit-failure" />
     </target>
@@ -1263,7 +1263,7 @@
         </ant>
     </target>
 
-    <target name="charset-tests" depends="charset, test-framework" description="Build charset tests">
+    <target name="charset-tests" depends="charset, core-tests, test-framework" description="Build charset tests">
         <ant dir="${icu4j.charset-tests.dir}" inheritAll="false">
             <reference refid="junit.jars"/>
         </ant>
@@ -1281,7 +1281,7 @@
         </ant>
     </target>
 
-    <target name="translit-tests" depends="translit, test-framework" description="Build translit tests">
+    <target name="translit-tests" depends="translit, core-tests, test-framework" description="Build translit tests">
         <ant dir="${icu4j.translit-tests.dir}" inheritAll="false">
             <reference refid="junit.jars"/>
         </ant>
@@ -1874,6 +1874,7 @@
 
             <src path="${icu4j.tools.dir}/src"/>
             <src path="${icu4j.test-framework.dir}/src"/>
+            <src path="${icu4j.translit-tests.dir}/src"/>
 
             <include name="com/ibm/icu/dev/util/CollectionUtilities.java" />
             <include name="com/ibm/icu/dev/util/ElapsedTimer.java" />
diff --git a/icu4j/main/tests/translit/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/util/ElapsedTimer.java b/icu4j/main/tests/translit/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/util/ElapsedTimer.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..855d798b5a61
--- /dev/null
+++ b/icu4j/main/tests/translit/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/util/ElapsedTimer.java
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+// © 2016 and later: Unicode, Inc. and others.
+// License & terms of use: http://www.unicode.org/copyright.html
+//
+//  ElapsedTimer.java
+//
+//  Created by Steven R. Loomis on 11/11/2005.
+//  Copyright 2005-2012 IBM. All rights reserved.
+//
+
+package com.ibm.icu.dev.util;
+
+import java.util.Locale;
+
+import com.ibm.icu.text.MessageFormat;
+import com.ibm.icu.text.NumberFormat;
+import com.ibm.icu.text.RuleBasedNumberFormat;
+
+
+/**
+ * Simple stopwatch timer.
+ * Usage:   { ElapsedTimer et = new ElapsedTimer(); 
+ *            do_some_stuff;  
+ *            System.out.println("It took " + et + " to do stuff."); }
+ *
+ * Advanced:   { ElapsedTimer et = new ElapsedTimer("Thing2's time: {0}");  // messageformat pattern
+ *            do_thing_2();  
+ *            System.out.println(et.toString()); }
+ *
+ * More advanced:  NumberFormat and/or MessageFormat can be provided in the constructor
+ *
+ * @internal CLDR
+ */
+public final class ElapsedTimer {
+
+    /**
+     * Convenience method to print the elasped time (in milliseconds) 
+     */
+    public static String elapsedTime(long start, long end) {
+        return diffTime(getFormat(), start, end);
+    }
+
+    public static String elapsedTime(long start) {
+        return diffTime(getFormat(), start, System.currentTimeMillis());
+    }
+    
+    // class
+
+    private long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+    private NumberFormat myDurationFormat = null;
+    private MessageFormat myMsgFormat = null;
+
+    public ElapsedTimer() {            
+    }
+    
+    public ElapsedTimer(MessageFormat aMsgFmt) {
+        myMsgFormat = aMsgFmt;
+    }
+
+    public ElapsedTimer(NumberFormat aNumFmt) {
+        myDurationFormat = aNumFmt;
+    }
+    
+    public ElapsedTimer(MessageFormat aMsgFmt, NumberFormat aNumFmt) {
+        myMsgFormat = aMsgFmt;
+        myDurationFormat = aNumFmt;
+    }
+
+    public ElapsedTimer(String pattern) {
+        myMsgFormat = new MessageFormat(pattern);
+    }
+
+    public ElapsedTimer(String pattern, NumberFormat aNumFmt) {
+        myMsgFormat = new MessageFormat(pattern);
+        myDurationFormat = aNumFmt;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @return elapsed time in seconds since object creation
+     */
+    public final String toString() { 
+        long endTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
+        String duration = diffTime(myDurationFormat, startTime, endTime);
+        if(myMsgFormat == null) {
+            return duration;
+        } else {
+            return myMsgFormat.format(new Object[] {duration});
+        }
+    }
+
+    private static NumberFormat gFormat = null;
+    
+    private static NumberFormat getFormat() {
+        if(gFormat == null) {
+            gFormat = new RuleBasedNumberFormat(Locale.US,
+                        RuleBasedNumberFormat.DURATION);
+        }
+        return gFormat; 
+    }
+    
+    private static String diffTime(NumberFormat fmt, long start, long end) {
+        if(fmt==null) {
+            fmt = getFormat();
+        }
+        synchronized(fmt) {
+            long age = end - start;
+            long diff = age/1000; // millis per second. Workaround ticket:7936 by using whole number seconds.
+            return fmt.format(diff);
+        }
+    }    
+}