You are right, the key to Java's platform independence is bytecode and the JVM. When you compile a Java program, it is compiled into bytecode, which is a platform-independent intermediate representation of the Java code.
The JVM is responsible for executing the bytecode. Each operating system has its own implementation of the JVM, which interprets the bytecode into machine code.
So, whether the language uses interpretation or compilation at any stage isn't the primary factor in its platform independence. It is the use of an intermediate, platform-independent bytecode and system-specific JVM that makes Java platform independent.
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