Java Inheritance is a mechanism that allows one class to inherit the properties and behaviors of another. A subclass can inherit methods and fields from its superclass, enabling code reuse and establishing a hierarchical class structure. Introduced in Java 1995 with Java 1.0, Inheritance is a core feature of Java's object-oriented programming paradigm, supporting polymorphism, encapsulation, and abstraction by allowing subclasses to extend the functionality of parent classes.