diff --git a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/util/Locale.java b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/util/Locale.java
index ae6c4af5ec5..73132b81c09 100644
--- a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/util/Locale.java
+++ b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/util/Locale.java
@@ -988,17 +988,23 @@ public final class Locale implements Cloneable, Serializable {
             if (locale != null) {
                 return locale;
             }
-            return LOCALE_CACHE.computeIfAbsent(baseloc, LOCALE_CREATOR);
+            return LocaleCache.cache(baseloc);
         } else {
             LocaleKey key = new LocaleKey(baseloc, extensions);
-            return LOCALE_CACHE.computeIfAbsent(key, LOCALE_CREATOR);
+            return LocaleCache.cache(key);
         }
     }
 
-    private static final ReferencedKeyMap<Object, Locale> LOCALE_CACHE
-            = ReferencedKeyMap.create(true, ReferencedKeyMap.concurrentHashMapSupplier());
+    private static final class LocaleCache implements Function<Object, Locale> {
+        private static final ReferencedKeyMap<Object, Locale> LOCALE_CACHE
+                = ReferencedKeyMap.create(true, ReferencedKeyMap.concurrentHashMapSupplier());
+
+        private static final Function<Object, Locale> LOCALE_CREATOR = new LocaleCache();
+
+        public static Locale cache(Object key) {
+            return LOCALE_CACHE.computeIfAbsent(key, LOCALE_CREATOR);
+        }
 
-    private static final Function<Object, Locale> LOCALE_CREATOR = new Function<>() {
         @Override
         public Locale apply(Object key) {
             if (key instanceof BaseLocale base) {
@@ -1007,7 +1013,7 @@ public final class Locale implements Cloneable, Serializable {
             LocaleKey lk = (LocaleKey)key;
             return new Locale(lk.base, lk.exts);
         }
-    };
+    }
 
     private static final class LocaleKey {
 
diff --git a/src/java.base/share/classes/sun/util/locale/BaseLocale.java b/src/java.base/share/classes/sun/util/locale/BaseLocale.java
index ec2a6a49183..a744b6ce39f 100644
--- a/src/java.base/share/classes/sun/util/locale/BaseLocale.java
+++ b/src/java.base/share/classes/sun/util/locale/BaseLocale.java
@@ -38,7 +38,6 @@ import jdk.internal.util.StaticProperty;
 import jdk.internal.vm.annotation.Stable;
 
 import java.util.StringJoiner;
-import java.util.function.UnaryOperator;
 
 public final class BaseLocale {
 
@@ -91,10 +90,6 @@ public final class BaseLocale {
         }
     }
 
-    // Interned BaseLocale cache
-    private static final ReferencedKeySet<BaseLocale> CACHE =
-            ReferencedKeySet.create(true, ReferencedKeySet.concurrentHashMapSupplier());
-
     public static final String SEP = "_";
 
     private final String language;
@@ -163,21 +158,16 @@ public final class BaseLocale {
         // Obtain the "interned" BaseLocale from the cache. The returned
         // "interned" instance can subsequently be used by the Locale
         // instance which guarantees the locale components are properly cased/interned.
-        return CACHE.intern(new BaseLocale(language, script, region, variant),
-                // Avoid lambdas since this may be on the bootstrap path in many locales
-                INTERNER);
-    }
-
-    public static final UnaryOperator<BaseLocale> INTERNER = new UnaryOperator<>() {
-        @Override
-        public BaseLocale apply(BaseLocale b) {
-            return new BaseLocale(
-                    LocaleUtils.toLowerString(b.language).intern(),
-                    LocaleUtils.toTitleString(b.script).intern(),
-                    LocaleUtils.toUpperString(b.region).intern(),
-                    b.variant.intern());
+        class InterningCache { // TODO: StableValue
+            private static final ReferencedKeySet<BaseLocale> CACHE =
+                    ReferencedKeySet.create(true, ReferencedKeySet.concurrentHashMapSupplier());
         }
-    };
+        return InterningCache.CACHE.intern(new BaseLocale(
+                language.intern(), // guaranteed to be lower-case
+                LocaleUtils.toTitleString(script).intern(),
+                region.intern(), // guaranteed to be upper-case
+                variant.intern()));
+    }
 
     public static String convertOldISOCodes(String language) {
         return switch (language) {