Java is representative of what I would call the industrial/enterprise category of languages. These types of programming languages are optimal for projects involving multiple developers. In such projects, being formal and careful can have a considerable impact.
Besides Java in this category, I include C++, C, C#, and Ada. Ada is mainly used in the military.
Another non-negligible factor is that Java is one of the most taught and popular programming languages. Java is used for large systems by large groups of people, and if you know C++, learning Java is made easier (in my opinion, the reverse is also true).