It is quite easy to format and parse Java Date (or Calendar) classes using instance of DateFormat, i.e. I could format current date into short localize date like this:
For SimpleDateFormat, You call toLocalizedPattern()
EDIT:
For Java 8 users:
The Java 8 Date Time API is similar to Joda-time. To gain a localized pattern we can use class DateTimeFormatter
DateTimeFormatter.ofLocalizedDate(FormatStyle.MEDIUM);
Note that when you call toString() on LocalDate, you will get date in format ISO-8601
Note that Date Time API in Java 8 is inspired by Joda Time and most solution can be based on questions related to time.