diff --git a/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/AsYouTypeFormatter.java b/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/AsYouTypeFormatter.java
index d5c4fe540..6af473e61 100644
--- a/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/AsYouTypeFormatter.java
+++ b/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/AsYouTypeFormatter.java
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ public class AsYouTypeFormatter {
         (isCompleteNumber && currentMetadata.intlNumberFormat.length > 0)
         ? currentMetadata.intlNumberFormat
         : currentMetadata.numberFormat;
-    boolean nationalPrefixIsUsedByCountry = (currentMetadata.nationalPrefix.length() != 0);
+    boolean nationalPrefixIsUsedByCountry = (!currentMetadata.nationalPrefix.equals(""));
     for (NumberFormat format : numberFormats) {
       if (!nationalPrefixIsUsedByCountry || isCompleteNumber ||
           format.nationalPrefixOptionalWhenFormatting ||
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@ public class AsYouTypeFormatter {
       startOfNationalNumber = 1;
       prefixBeforeNationalNumber.append('1').append(SEPARATOR_BEFORE_NATIONAL_NUMBER);
       isCompleteNumber = true;
-    } else if (currentMetadata.nationalPrefixForParsing.length() != 0) {
+    } else if (!currentMetadata.nationalPrefixForParsing.equals("")) {
       Pattern nationalPrefixForParsing =
           regexCache.getPatternForRegex(currentMetadata.nationalPrefixForParsing);
       Matcher m = nationalPrefixForParsing.matcher(nationalNumber);
diff --git a/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtil.java b/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtil.java
index 6b4ff847b..2e91bcaa5 100644
--- a/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtil.java
+++ b/java/libphonenumber/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtil.java
@@ -1882,7 +1882,7 @@ public class PhoneNumberUtil {
       if (numberFormat == PhoneNumberFormat.RFC3966) {
         formattedNumber.append(RFC3966_EXTN_PREFIX).append(number.getExtension());
       } else {
-        if (metadata.preferredExtnPrefix.length() != 0) {
+        if (!metadata.preferredExtnPrefix.equals("")) {
           formattedNumber.append(metadata.preferredExtnPrefix).append(number.getExtension());
         } else {
           formattedNumber.append(DEFAULT_EXTN_PREFIX).append(number.getExtension());
@@ -2089,7 +2089,7 @@ public class PhoneNumberUtil {
       // If leadingDigits is present, use this. Otherwise, do full validation.
       // Metadata cannot be null because the region codes come from the country calling code map.
       PhoneMetadata metadata = getMetadataForRegion(regionCode);
-      if (metadata.leadingDigits.length() != 0) {
+      if (!metadata.leadingDigits.equals("")) {
         if (regexCache.getPatternForRegex(metadata.leadingDigits)
                 .matcher(nationalNumber).lookingAt()) {
           return regionCode;
diff --git a/java/libphonenumber/test/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/ExampleNumbersTest.java b/java/libphonenumber/test/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/ExampleNumbersTest.java
index 99ed9bd4c..1365ac3f7 100644
--- a/java/libphonenumber/test/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/ExampleNumbersTest.java
+++ b/java/libphonenumber/test/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/ExampleNumbersTest.java
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ public class ExampleNumbersTest extends TestCase {
       PhoneNumberDesc desc =
           phoneNumberUtil.getMetadataForRegion(regionCode).noInternationalDialling;
       try {
-        if (desc.exampleNumber.length() != 0) {
+        if (!desc.exampleNumber.equals("")) {
           exampleNumber = phoneNumberUtil.parse(desc.exampleNumber, regionCode);
         }
       } catch (NumberParseException e) {
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ public class ExampleNumbersTest extends TestCase {
     for (String regionCode : shortNumberInfo.getSupportedRegions()) {
       PhoneNumberDesc desc =
           MetadataManager.getShortNumberMetadataForRegion(regionCode).emergency;
-      if (desc.exampleNumber.length() != 0) {
+      if (!desc.exampleNumber.equals("")) {
         String exampleNumber = desc.exampleNumber;
         PhoneNumber phoneNumber = phoneNumberUtil.parse(exampleNumber, regionCode);
         if (!shortNumberInfo.isPossibleShortNumberForRegion(phoneNumber, regionCode)
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ public class ExampleNumbersTest extends TestCase {
       // Test the carrier-specific tag.
       PhoneNumberDesc desc =
           MetadataManager.getShortNumberMetadataForRegion(regionCode).carrierSpecific;
-      if (desc.exampleNumber.length() != 0) {
+      if (!desc.exampleNumber.equals("")) {
         String exampleNumber = desc.exampleNumber;
         PhoneNumber carrierSpecificNumber = phoneNumberUtil.parse(exampleNumber, regionCode);
         if (!shortNumberInfo.isPossibleShortNumberForRegion(carrierSpecificNumber, regionCode)
diff --git a/java/libphonenumber/test/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtilTest.java b/java/libphonenumber/test/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtilTest.java
index 219073148..99945baf1 100644
--- a/java/libphonenumber/test/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtilTest.java
+++ b/java/libphonenumber/test/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/PhoneNumberUtilTest.java
@@ -137,7 +137,7 @@ public class PhoneNumberUtilTest extends TestMetadataTestCase {
     assertEquals("US", metadata.id);
     assertEquals(1, metadata.countryCode);
     assertEquals("011", metadata.internationalPrefix);
-    assertTrue(metadata.nationalPrefix.length() != 0);
+    assertTrue(!metadata.nationalPrefix.equals(""));
     assertEquals(2, metadata.numberFormat.length);
     assertEquals("(\\d{3})(\\d{3})(\\d{4})",
                  metadata.numberFormat[1].pattern);
diff --git a/tools/java/common/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/BuildMetadataFromXml.java b/tools/java/common/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/BuildMetadataFromXml.java
index 7b0d280e6..fdcaf7785 100644
--- a/tools/java/common/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/BuildMetadataFromXml.java
+++ b/tools/java/common/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/BuildMetadataFromXml.java
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ public class BuildMetadataFromXml {
     }
     if (!nationalPrefix.isEmpty()) {
       metadata.nationalPrefix = nationalPrefix;
-      if (metadata.nationalPrefixForParsing.length() == 0) {
+      if (metadata.nationalPrefixForParsing.equals("")) {
         metadata.nationalPrefixForParsing = nationalPrefix;
       }
     }
@@ -428,13 +428,13 @@ public class BuildMetadataFromXml {
       numberDesc.possibleNumberPattern = "NA";
       return numberDesc;
     }
-    if (generalDesc.nationalNumberPattern.length() != 0) {
+    if (!generalDesc.nationalNumberPattern.equals("")) {
       numberDesc.nationalNumberPattern = generalDesc.nationalNumberPattern;
     }
-    if (generalDesc.possibleNumberPattern.length() != 0) {
+    if (!generalDesc.possibleNumberPattern.equals("")) {
       numberDesc.possibleNumberPattern = generalDesc.possibleNumberPattern;
     }
-    if (generalDesc.exampleNumber.length() != 0) {
+    if (!generalDesc.exampleNumber.equals("")) {
       numberDesc.exampleNumber = generalDesc.exampleNumber;
     }
 
diff --git a/tools/java/java-build/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/BuildMetadataJsonFromXml.java b/tools/java/java-build/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/BuildMetadataJsonFromXml.java
index 178926c60..db0cfd49a 100644
--- a/tools/java/java-build/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/BuildMetadataJsonFromXml.java
+++ b/tools/java/java-build/src/com/google/i18n/phonenumbers/BuildMetadataJsonFromXml.java
@@ -197,13 +197,13 @@ public class BuildMetadataJsonFromXml extends Command {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     }
     // optional string national_prefix_formatting_rule = 4;
-    if (format.nationalPrefixFormattingRule.length() != 0) {
+    if (!format.nationalPrefixFormattingRule.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(format.nationalPrefixFormattingRule);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     }
     // optional string domestic_carrier_code_formatting_rule = 5;
-    if (format.domesticCarrierCodeFormattingRule.length() != 0) {
+    if (!format.domesticCarrierCodeFormattingRule.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(format.domesticCarrierCodeFormattingRule);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
@@ -233,13 +233,13 @@ public class BuildMetadataJsonFromXml extends Command {
     // missing 1
     jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     // optional string national_number_pattern = 2;
-    if (desc.nationalNumberPattern.length() != 0) {
+    if (!desc.nationalNumberPattern.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(desc.nationalNumberPattern);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     }
     // optional string possible_number_pattern = 3;
-    if (desc.possibleNumberPattern.length() != 0) {
+    if (!desc.possibleNumberPattern.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(desc.possibleNumberPattern);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ public class BuildMetadataJsonFromXml extends Command {
     // missing 5
     jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     // optional string example_number = 6;
-    if (desc.exampleNumber.length() != 0) {
+    if (!desc.exampleNumber.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(desc.exampleNumber);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
@@ -289,20 +289,20 @@ public class BuildMetadataJsonFromXml extends Command {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     }
     // optional string international_prefix = 11;
-    if (metadata.internationalPrefix.length() != 0) {
+    if (!metadata.internationalPrefix.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(metadata.internationalPrefix);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     }
 
     // optional string national_prefix = 12;
-    if (metadata.nationalPrefix.length() != 0) {
+    if (!metadata.nationalPrefix.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(metadata.nationalPrefix);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     }
     // optional string preferred_extn_prefix = 13;
-    if (metadata.preferredExtnPrefix.length() != 0) {
+    if (!metadata.preferredExtnPrefix.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(metadata.preferredExtnPrefix);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
@@ -310,19 +310,19 @@ public class BuildMetadataJsonFromXml extends Command {
     // missing 14
     jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     // optional string national_prefix_for_parsing = 15;
-    if (metadata.nationalPrefixForParsing.length() != 0) {
+    if (!metadata.nationalPrefixForParsing.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(metadata.nationalPrefixForParsing);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     }
     // optional string national_prefix_transform_rule = 16;
-    if (metadata.nationalPrefixTransformRule.length() != 0) {
+    if (!metadata.nationalPrefixTransformRule.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(metadata.nationalPrefixTransformRule);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     }
     // optional string preferred_international_prefix = 17;
-    if (metadata.preferredInternationalPrefix.length() != 0) {
+    if (!metadata.preferredInternationalPrefix.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(metadata.preferredInternationalPrefix);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ public class BuildMetadataJsonFromXml extends Command {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);
     }
     // optional string leading_digits = 23;
-    if (metadata.leadingDigits.length() != 0) {
+    if (!metadata.leadingDigits.equals("")) {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(metadata.leadingDigits);
     } else {
       jsArrayBuilder.append(null);