diff --git a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/duration/ICUDurationTest.java b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/duration/ICUDurationTest.java
index 33d1cfb154d..3c48d4a8cba 100644
--- a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/duration/ICUDurationTest.java
+++ b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/duration/ICUDurationTest.java
@@ -8,6 +8,12 @@ package com.ibm.icu.dev.test.duration;
 
 import java.util.Date;
 
+// BEGIN JDK>1.5
+import javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeConfigurationException;
+import javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeFactory;
+import javax.xml.datatype.Duration;
+// END JDK>1.5
+
 import com.ibm.icu.dev.test.TestFmwk;
 import com.ibm.icu.text.DurationFormat;
 import com.ibm.icu.util.ULocale;
@@ -72,7 +78,91 @@ public class ICUDurationTest extends TestFmwk {
         } else {
             logln("format long obj -> " + formatted);
         }
-
-    
     }
+
+ // BEGIN JDK>1.5
+
+    public void TestSimpleXMLDuration() {
+        DatatypeFactory factory = null;
+        try {
+            factory = DatatypeFactory.newInstance();
+        } catch (DatatypeConfigurationException e) {
+            errln("Error instantiating XML DatatypeFactory.");
+            e.printStackTrace();
+        }
+        
+        Duration d;
+        DurationFormat df;
+        String out;
+        String expected;
+        
+        
+        // test 1
+        d = factory.newDuration("PT2H46M40S");
+        df = DurationFormat.getInstance(new ULocale("en"));
+        expected = "2 hours, 46 minutes, and 40 seconds";
+        out = df.format(d);
+        if(out.equals(expected)) {
+            logln("out=expected: " + expected + " from " + d);
+        } else {
+            errln("FAIL: got " + out + " wanted " + expected + " from " + d);
+        }
+        
+        // test 2
+        d = factory.newDuration(10000);
+        df = DurationFormat.getInstance(new ULocale("en"));
+        expected = "10 seconds";
+        out = df.format(d);
+        if(out.equals(expected)) {
+            logln("out=expected: " + expected + " from " + d);
+        } else {
+            errln("FAIL: got " + out + " wanted " + expected + " from " + d);
+        }
+    }
+    
+    
+    public void TestXMLDuration() {
+        DatatypeFactory factory = null;
+        try {
+            factory = DatatypeFactory.newInstance();
+        } catch (DatatypeConfigurationException e) {
+            errln("Error instantiating XML DatatypeFactory.");
+            e.printStackTrace();
+        }
+        
+        String cases[] = {
+                "en",   "PT10.00099S",   "10 seconds",
+                "en",   "#10000",   "10 seconds",
+                "en",   "-PT10.00099S",   "10 seconds",
+                "en",   "#-10000",   "10 seconds",
+                
+                // from BD req's
+                "en",   "PT2H46M40S",   "2 hours, 46 minutes, and 40 seconds",
+                "it",   "PT2H46M40S",   "due ore, 46 minuti e 40 secondi",
+        };
+        
+        for(int n=0;n<cases.length;n+=3) {
+            String loc = cases[n+0];
+            String from = cases[n+1];
+            String to = cases[n+2];
+            
+            ULocale locale = new ULocale(loc);
+            Duration d;
+            if(from.startsWith("#")) {
+                d = factory.newDuration(Long.parseLong(from.substring(1)));
+            } else {
+                d = factory.newDuration(from);
+            }
+            
+            DurationFormat df = DurationFormat.getInstance(locale);
+            String output = df.format(d);
+            
+            if(output.equals(to)) {
+                logln("SUCCESS: locale: " + loc + ", from " + from + " ["+d.toString()+"] " +" to " + to + "= " + output);
+            } else {
+                logln("FAIL: locale: " + loc + ", from " + from + " ["+d.toString()+"] " +": expected " + to + " got " + output);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+ // END JDK>1.5
 }
diff --git a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/duration/BasicDurationFormat.java b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/duration/BasicDurationFormat.java
index 004ac51313f..ff824597f50 100644
--- a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/duration/BasicDurationFormat.java
+++ b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/duration/BasicDurationFormat.java
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
  */
 package com.ibm.icu.impl.duration;
 
+import java.text.FieldPosition;
 import java.util.Date;
 
 import com.ibm.icu.text.DurationFormat;
@@ -13,7 +14,8 @@ import com.ibm.icu.util.ULocale;
 
 /**
  * @author srl
- *
+ * @internal
+ * @deprecated this API is for ICU internal use only
  */
 public class BasicDurationFormat extends DurationFormat {
     
@@ -23,22 +25,43 @@ public class BasicDurationFormat extends DurationFormat {
     private static final long serialVersionUID = -3146984141909457700L;
     
     transient DurationFormatter formatter;
+    transient PeriodFormatter pformatter;
+    transient PeriodFormatterService pfs = null;
 
     public static DurationFormat getInstance(ULocale locale) {
         return new BasicDurationFormat(locale);
     }
     
-    
+    public StringBuffer format(Object object, StringBuffer toAppend, FieldPosition pos) {
+        if(object instanceof Long) {
+            String res = formatDurationFromNow(((Long)object).longValue());
+            return toAppend.append(res);
+        } else if(object instanceof Date) {
+            String res = formatDurationFromNowTo(((Date)object));
+            return toAppend.append(res);
+         // BEGIN JDK>1.5
+        } else if(object instanceof javax.xml.datatype.Duration) {
+            String res = formatDuration(object);
+            return toAppend.append(res);
+         // END JDK>1.5
+        } else {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot format given Object as a Duration");
+        }
+    }
     
     public BasicDurationFormat() {
-        formatter = BasicPeriodFormatterService.getInstance().newDurationFormatterFactory().getFormatter();
+        pfs = BasicPeriodFormatterService.getInstance();
+        formatter = pfs.newDurationFormatterFactory().getFormatter();
+        pformatter = pfs.newPeriodFormatterFactory().setDisplayPastFuture(false).getFormatter();
     }
     /**
      * 
      */
     public BasicDurationFormat(ULocale locale) {
         super(locale);
-        formatter  = BasicPeriodFormatterService.getInstance().newDurationFormatterFactory().setLocale(locale.getName()).getFormatter();
+        pfs = BasicPeriodFormatterService.getInstance();
+        formatter = pfs.newDurationFormatterFactory().setLocale(locale.getName()).getFormatter();
+        pformatter = pfs.newPeriodFormatterFactory().setDisplayPastFuture(false).setLocale(locale.getName()).getFormatter();
     }
 
     /* (non-Javadoc)
@@ -62,4 +85,64 @@ public class BasicDurationFormat extends DurationFormat {
         return formatter.formatDurationFromNowTo(targetDate);
     }
 
+ // BEGIN JDK>1.5
+    private static final javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeConstants.Field inFields[] = { 
+        javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeConstants.YEARS,
+        javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeConstants.MONTHS,
+        javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeConstants.DAYS,
+        javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeConstants.HOURS,
+        javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeConstants.MINUTES,
+        javax.xml.datatype.DatatypeConstants.SECONDS,
+    };
+    private static final TimeUnit outFields[] = { 
+        TimeUnit.YEAR,
+        TimeUnit.MONTH,
+        TimeUnit.DAY,
+        TimeUnit.HOUR,
+        TimeUnit.MINUTE,
+        TimeUnit.SECOND,
+    };
+    /** 
+     *  JDK 1.5+ only
+     * @param o
+     * @return
+     * @see http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.5.0/docs/api/javax/xml/datatype/Duration.html
+     */
+    public String formatDuration(Object obj) {
+        javax.xml.datatype.Duration inDuration = (javax.xml.datatype.Duration)obj;
+        Period p = null;
+        javax.xml.datatype.Duration duration = inDuration;
+        boolean inPast = false;
+        if(inDuration.getSign()<0) {
+            duration = inDuration.negate();
+            inPast = true;
+        }
+        // convert a Duration to a Period
+        for(int i=0;i<inFields.length;i++) {
+            if(duration.isSet(inFields[i])) {
+                Number n = duration.getField(inFields[i]);
+                if(p == null) {
+                    p = Period.at(n.floatValue(), outFields[i]);
+                } else {
+                    p = p.and(n.floatValue(), outFields[i]);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        
+        if(p == null) {
+            // no fields set  = 0 seconds
+            return formatDurationFromNow(0);
+        } else {
+            if(inPast) {// was negated, above.
+                p = p.inPast();
+            } else {
+                p = p.inFuture();
+            }
+        }
+        
+        // now, format it.
+        return pformatter.format(p);
+    }
+ // END JDK>1.5
+
 }
diff --git a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/text/DurationFormat.java b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/text/DurationFormat.java
index 78358b4fcf9..48b913c9d7f 100644
--- a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/text/DurationFormat.java
+++ b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/text/DurationFormat.java
@@ -51,25 +51,15 @@ public abstract class DurationFormat extends UFormat {
     /**
      * Format an arbitrary object.
      * Defaults to a call to formatDurationFromNow() for either Long or Date objects.
-     * @param object the object to format. Should be either a Long or Date object.
+     * @param object the object to format. Should be either a Long, Date, or javax.xml.datatype.Duration object.
      * @param toAppend the buffer to append to
      * @param pos the field position, may contain additional error messages.
      * @return the toAppend buffer
      * @draft ICU 3.8
      * @provisional This API might change or be removed in a future release.
      */
-    public StringBuffer format(Object object, StringBuffer toAppend,
-            FieldPosition pos) {
-        if(object instanceof Long) {
-            String res = formatDurationFromNow(((Long)object).longValue());
-            return toAppend.append(res);
-        } else if(object instanceof Date) {
-            String res = formatDurationFromNowTo(((Date)object));
-            return toAppend.append(res);
-        } else {
-            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Cannot format given Object as a Duration");
-        }
-    }
+    public abstract StringBuffer format(Object object, StringBuffer toAppend,
+            FieldPosition pos);
 
     /**
      * DurationFormat cannot parse, by default. This method will throw an UnsupportedOperationException.