diff --git a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/format/TimeZoneFormatTest.java b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/format/TimeZoneFormatTest.java
index c630a4fbe7..2214ad5c64 100644
--- a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/format/TimeZoneFormatTest.java
+++ b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/dev/test/format/TimeZoneFormatTest.java
@@ -109,15 +109,24 @@ public class TimeZoneFormatTest extends com.ibm.icu.dev.test.TestFmwk {
                         outtz.getOffset(DATES[datidx].getTime(), false, outOffsets);
 
                         if (PATTERNS[patidx].equals("VVVV")) {
-                            // Location: time zone rule must be preserved.
+                            // Location: time zone rule must be preserved except
+                            // zones not actually associated with a specific location.
+                            // Time zones in this category do not have "/" in its ID.
                             String canonicalID = TimeZone.getCanonicalID(tzids[tzidx]);
                             if (canonicalID != null && !outtz.getID().equals(canonicalID)) {
                                 // Canonical ID did not match - check the rules
                                 if (!((BasicTimeZone)outtz).hasEquivalentTransitions(tz, low, high)) {
-                                    errln("Canonical round trip failed; tz=" + tzids[tzidx]
-                                        + ", locale=" + LOCALES[locidx] + ", pattern=" + PATTERNS[patidx]
-                                        + ", time=" + DATES[datidx].getTime() + ", str=" + tzstr
-                                        + ", outtz=" + outtz.getID());
+                                    if (canonicalID.indexOf('/') == -1) {
+                                        logln("Canonical round trip failed (as expected); tz=" + tzids[tzidx]
+                                            + ", locale=" + LOCALES[locidx] + ", pattern=" + PATTERNS[patidx]
+                                            + ", time=" + DATES[datidx].getTime() + ", str=" + tzstr
+                                            + ", outtz=" + outtz.getID());
+                                    } else {
+                                        errln("Canonical round trip failed; tz=" + tzids[tzidx]
+                                            + ", locale=" + LOCALES[locidx] + ", pattern=" + PATTERNS[patidx]
+                                            + ", time=" + DATES[datidx].getTime() + ", str=" + tzstr
+                                            + ", outtz=" + outtz.getID());
+                                    }
                                 }
                             }
                         } else {
diff --git a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ZoneStringFormat.java b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ZoneStringFormat.java
index b57343855f..55f5a24859 100644
--- a/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ZoneStringFormat.java
+++ b/icu4j/src/com/ibm/icu/impl/ZoneStringFormat.java
@@ -269,21 +269,26 @@ public class ZoneStringFormat {
                 }
             } else {
                 if (tzid.startsWith("Etc/")) {
-                    // "Etc/xxx" is not associated with a location, so localized GMT format
-                    // is always used as generic location format.
+                    // "Etc/xxx" is not associated with a specific location, so localized
+                    // GMT format is always used as generic location format.
                     zstrarray[ZSIDX_LOCATION] = null;
                 } else {
-                    // When a new time zone ID, which is actually associated with a region,
-                    // is added in tzdata, but the current CLDR data does not have the
-                    // information yet, ICU creates a generic location string based on 
+                    // When a new time zone ID, which is actually associated with a specific
+                    // location, is added in tzdata, but the current CLDR data does not have
+                    // the information yet, ICU creates a generic location string based on 
                     // the ID.  This implementation supports canonical time zone round trip
                     // with format pattern "VVVV".  See #6602 for the details.
                     String location = tzid;
                     int slashIdx = location.lastIndexOf('/');
-                    if (slashIdx != -1) {
+                    if (slashIdx == -1) {
+                        // A time zone ID without slash in the tz database is not
+                        // associated with a specific location.  For instances,
+                        // MET, CET, EET and WET fall into this catetory.
+                        zstrarray[ZSIDX_LOCATION] = null;
+                    } else {
                         location = tzid.substring(slashIdx + 1);
+                        zstrarray[ZSIDX_LOCATION] = regionFmt.format(new Object[] {location});
                     }
-                    zstrarray[ZSIDX_LOCATION] = regionFmt.format(new Object[] {location});
                 }
             }