diff --git a/cmake/java.cmake b/cmake/java.cmake
index a8152ac70c..be3c4eeea4 100644
--- a/cmake/java.cmake
+++ b/cmake/java.cmake
@@ -86,6 +86,12 @@ message(STATUS "Java project: ${JAVA_PROJECT}")
 set(JAVA_PROJECT_DIR ${PROJECT_BINARY_DIR}/java/${JAVA_PROJECT})
 message(STATUS "Java project build path: ${JAVA_PROJECT_DIR}")
 
+if(RELEASE)
+  set(JAVA_RELEASE "")
+else()
+  set(JAVA_RELEASE "-RC1")
+endif()
+
 ##################
 ##  PROTO FILE  ##
 ##################
diff --git a/ortools/java/pom-full.xml.in b/ortools/java/pom-full.xml.in
index 17b9b72db4..4022cb3e20 100644
--- a/ortools/java/pom-full.xml.in
+++ b/ortools/java/pom-full.xml.in
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
 <artifactId>@JAVA_PROJECT@</artifactId>
-<version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+<version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
 <packaging>jar</packaging>
 
 <name>${project.groupId}:${project.artifactId}</name>
@@ -69,35 +69,35 @@
   <dependency>
     <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
     <artifactId>ortools-linux-x86-64</artifactId>
-    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
     <type>jar</type>
     <scope>runtime</scope>
   </dependency>
   <dependency>
     <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
     <artifactId>ortools-darwin-x86-64</artifactId>
-    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
     <type>jar</type>
     <scope>runtime</scope>
   </dependency>
   <dependency>
     <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
     <artifactId>ortools-win32-x86-64</artifactId>
-    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
     <type>jar</type>
     <scope>runtime</scope>
   </dependency>
   <dependency>
     <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
     <artifactId>ortools-linux-aarch64</artifactId>
-    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
     <type>jar</type>
     <scope>runtime</scope>
   </dependency>
   <dependency>
     <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
     <artifactId>ortools-darwin-aarch64</artifactId>
-    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
     <type>jar</type>
     <scope>runtime</scope>
   </dependency>
diff --git a/ortools/java/pom-local.xml.in b/ortools/java/pom-local.xml.in
index af5a2d415f..c1c4b74e4a 100644
--- a/ortools/java/pom-local.xml.in
+++ b/ortools/java/pom-local.xml.in
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
 <artifactId>@JAVA_PROJECT@</artifactId>
-<version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+<version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
 <packaging>jar</packaging>
 
 <name>${project.groupId}:${project.artifactId}</name>
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
   <dependency>
     <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
     <artifactId>@JAVA_NATIVE_PROJECT@</artifactId>
-    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+    <version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
     <type>jar</type>
     <scope>runtime</scope>
   </dependency>
diff --git a/ortools/java/pom-native.xml.in b/ortools/java/pom-native.xml.in
index ef7fb72eb8..a09a4ccb7f 100644
--- a/ortools/java/pom-native.xml.in
+++ b/ortools/java/pom-native.xml.in
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
 <artifactId>@JAVA_NATIVE_PROJECT@</artifactId>
-<version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+<version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
 <packaging>jar</packaging>
 
 <name>${project.groupId}:${project.artifactId}</name>
diff --git a/ortools/java/pom-sample.xml.in b/ortools/java/pom-sample.xml.in
index 5949096b4f..ace8914be6 100644
--- a/ortools/java/pom-sample.xml.in
+++ b/ortools/java/pom-sample.xml.in
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
 <artifactId>@JAVA_SAMPLE_PROJECT@</artifactId>
-<version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+<version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
 <packaging>jar</packaging>
 
 <name>${project.groupId}:${project.artifactId}</name>
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@
   <dependency>
     <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
     <artifactId>@JAVA_PROJECT@</artifactId>
-    <version>[@PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR@.@PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR@.@PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH@,)</version>
+    <version>[@PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR@.@PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR@.@PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH@@JAVA_RELEASE@,)</version>
     <type>jar</type>
     <scope>compile</scope>
   </dependency>
diff --git a/ortools/java/pom-test.xml.in b/ortools/java/pom-test.xml.in
index 6e1c9047be..acd4cd6e4d 100644
--- a/ortools/java/pom-test.xml.in
+++ b/ortools/java/pom-test.xml.in
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
 <artifactId>@JAVA_TEST_PROJECT@</artifactId>
-<version>@PROJECT_VERSION@</version>
+<version>@PROJECT_VERSION@@JAVA_RELEASE@</version>
 <packaging>jar</packaging>
 
 <name>${project.groupId}:${project.artifactId}</name>
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@
   <dependency>
     <groupId>@JAVA_PACKAGE@</groupId>
     <artifactId>@JAVA_PROJECT@</artifactId>
-    <version>[@PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR@.@PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR@.@PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH@,)</version>
+    <version>[@PROJECT_VERSION_MAJOR@.@PROJECT_VERSION_MINOR@.@PROJECT_VERSION_PATCH@@JAVA_RELEASE@,)</version>
     <type>jar</type>
     <scope>compile</scope>
   </dependency>