diff --git a/icu4j/main/core/pom.xml b/icu4j/main/core/pom.xml
index 6d911925011c..f988f09ef53f 100644
--- a/icu4j/main/core/pom.xml
+++ b/icu4j/main/core/pom.xml
@@ -49,6 +49,29 @@
 
   <build>
     <plugins>
+      <plugin>
+        <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
+        <artifactId>build-helper-maven-plugin</artifactId>
+        <executions>
+          <execution>
+            <!-- Test files shared between ICU4C and ICU4J -->
+            <id>add-test-resource</id>
+            <goals>
+              <goal>add-test-resource</goal>
+            </goals>
+            <configuration>
+              <resources>
+                <resource>
+                  <directory>${rootlocation}/../testdata/</directory>
+                  <includes>
+                    <include>message2/**</include>
+                  </includes>
+                </resource>
+              </resources>
+            </configuration>
+          </execution>
+        </executions>
+      </plugin>
       <plugin>
         <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
         <artifactId>maven-jar-plugin</artifactId>
diff --git a/icu4j/pom.xml b/icu4j/pom.xml
index eeee1cb8c3fc..9849bfbd6dcf 100644
--- a/icu4j/pom.xml
+++ b/icu4j/pom.xml
@@ -273,13 +273,19 @@
                 <goal>add-resource</goal>
               </goals>
               <configuration>
-                <runOnlyAtExecutionRoot>true</runOnlyAtExecutionRoot>
                 <resources>
                   <resource>
-                    <directory>${rootlocation}/..</directory>
+                    <directory>${rootlocation}/../testdata/</directory>
                     <includes>
-                      <include>LICENSE</include>
-                      <include>testdata/</include>
+                      <!-- Do not "repair" this to use ${rootlocation}/../ and LICENSE.
+                        This is a workaround for Eclipse, which fails to import the projects because
+                        ${rootlocation}/../ overlaps with the location of the sub-projects (for example main/core).
+                        True, because {rootlocation} is resolved to $icu_root/icu4j.
+                        So ${rootlocation}/../ points to $icu_root, which overlaps with $icu_root/icu4j/main/core.
+                        But $icu_root/testdata/ does not overlap with $icu_root/icu4j/ so all is good.
+                        We then go up one step for the LICENSE, because Eclipse does not validate for files overlapping, only folders.
+                      -->
+                      <include>../LICENSE</include>
                     </includes>
                   </resource>
                 </resources>