diff --git a/.github/workflows/run-nightly-smoketester.yml b/.github/workflows/run-nightly-smoketester.yml
index 16dff00252b9..05f70a87d6e1 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/run-nightly-smoketester.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/run-nightly-smoketester.yml
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ jobs:
           # This intentionally lists two versions, the last one is used as the system default (for running gradle).
           java-version: |
             ${{ matrix.java-version }}
-            24
+            25
 
       - name: Echo diagnostic paths and locations
         run: |
diff --git a/dev-tools/scripts/releaseWizard.py b/dev-tools/scripts/releaseWizard.py
index 61326f01d336..951a75c5c264 100755
--- a/dev-tools/scripts/releaseWizard.py
+++ b/dev-tools/scripts/releaseWizard.py
@@ -1312,7 +1312,7 @@ def main():
 
   state.save()
 
-  # Smoketester requires JAVA11_HOME to point to Java11
+  # Smoketester requires JAVA_HOME to point to the minimum Java required to build the project.
   os.environ["JAVA_HOME"] = state.get_java_home()
   os.environ["JAVACMD"] = state.get_java_cmd()
 
diff --git a/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.9.12.3-cfs.zip b/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.9.12.3-cfs.zip
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f4e599a012a7
Binary files /dev/null and b/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.9.12.3-cfs.zip differ
diff --git a/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.9.12.3-nocfs.zip b/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.9.12.3-nocfs.zip
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7b249b734c26
Binary files /dev/null and b/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.9.12.3-nocfs.zip differ
diff --git a/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.int7_hnsw.9.12.3.zip b/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.int7_hnsw.9.12.3.zip
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..5288def7a674
Binary files /dev/null and b/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.int7_hnsw.9.12.3.zip differ
diff --git a/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.sorted.9.12.3.zip b/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.sorted.9.12.3.zip
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..3935ec57b1fe
Binary files /dev/null and b/lucene/backward-codecs/src/test/org/apache/lucene/backward_index/unsupported.sorted.9.12.3.zip differ