Can Java be considered an object-oriented programming language?

Java can be considered a language based on the object-oriented paradigm because it supports the main principles of OOP:

• Encapsulation: data and methods are combined into classes, and access to data is controlled through access modifiers.
• Inheritance: classes can inherit properties and behaviors from other classes.
• Polymorphism: objects can take many forms, and methods can be overridden.

However, Java is not a purely object-oriented language, as it contains primitive data types (int, boolean, etc.) that are not objects. But with the advent of wrapper classes and autoboxing, this difference is smoothed out.

Overall, Java is an object-oriented language with some elements of procedural programming.