Why does the Java compiler allow exceptions to be listed in the throws section that it is impossible for the method to throw

Question

The Java compiler seems inconsistent if there is some code that clearly can not throw an exception, and you write surrounding code that declares that the code can throw that

Answer 1

The compiler allows this because the throws clause of the method is part of the signature of the method, rather than part of its implementation. It is possible that the implementation might change at some point, while keeping the signature the same. An old implementation might have thrown a checked exception, but the new one might not. Or the designer of the signature might have wanted to give the implementer the flexibility to throw a checked exception when that is not always necessary.