diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1CollectedHeap.hpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1CollectedHeap.hpp
index 845f8a257a1..8d0a640cbd3 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1CollectedHeap.hpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1CollectedHeap.hpp
@@ -627,7 +627,8 @@ class G1CollectedHeap : public CollectedHeap {
 
   // Remove from the reclaim candidate set.  Also remove from the
   // collection set so that later encounters avoid the slow path.
-  inline void set_humongous_is_live(oop obj);
+  template <class T>
+  inline void set_humongous_is_live(T* p, oop obj);
 
   // Register the given region to be part of the collection set.
   inline void register_humongous_candidate_region_with_region_attr(uint index);
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1CollectedHeap.inline.hpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1CollectedHeap.inline.hpp
index fdc8585dbc0..8f17a15d523 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1CollectedHeap.inline.hpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1CollectedHeap.inline.hpp
@@ -274,7 +274,8 @@ inline bool G1CollectedHeap::is_humongous_reclaim_candidate(uint region) {
   return _region_attr.is_humongous_candidate(region);
 }
 
-inline void G1CollectedHeap::set_humongous_is_live(oop obj) {
+template <class T>
+inline void G1CollectedHeap::set_humongous_is_live(T* p, oop obj) {
   uint region = addr_to_region(obj);
   // Reset the entry in the region attribute table so that subsequent
   // references to the same humongous object do not go into the slow path
@@ -283,7 +284,16 @@ inline void G1CollectedHeap::set_humongous_is_live(oop obj) {
   // humongous-candidate to not, and the write, in evacuation, is
   // separated from the read, in post-evacuation.
   if (_region_attr.is_humongous_candidate(region)) {
-    _region_attr.clear_humongous_candidate(region);
+    // Avoid that humongous object self-references are keeping the object alive.
+    // References may be from outside the heap (heap roots), so check this first.
+    if (!is_in_reserved(p)) {
+      _region_attr.clear_humongous_candidate(region);
+      return;
+    }
+    G1HeapRegion* from_region = heap_region_containing(p);
+    if (!from_region->is_humongous() || from_region->humongous_start_region()->hrm_index() != region) {
+      _region_attr.clear_humongous_candidate(region);
+    }
   }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1OopClosures.inline.hpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1OopClosures.inline.hpp
index 87e3a1cc7c4..943e2d0d703 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1OopClosures.inline.hpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/g1/g1OopClosures.inline.hpp
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ inline void G1ScanClosureBase::prefetch_and_push(T* p, const oop obj) {
 template <class T>
 inline void G1ScanClosureBase::handle_non_cset_obj_common(G1HeapRegionAttr const region_attr, T* p, oop const obj) {
   if (region_attr.is_humongous_candidate()) {
-    _g1h->set_humongous_is_live(obj);
+    _g1h->set_humongous_is_live(p, obj);
   } else if (region_attr.is_optional()) {
     _par_scan_state->remember_reference_into_optional_region(p);
   }
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ void G1ParCopyClosure<barrier, should_mark>::do_oop_work(T* p) {
     }
   } else {
     if (state.is_humongous_candidate()) {
-      _g1h->set_humongous_is_live(obj);
+      _g1h->set_humongous_is_live(p, obj);
     } else if ((barrier != G1BarrierNoOptRoots) && state.is_optional()) {
       _par_scan_state->remember_root_into_optional_region(p);
     }
diff --git a/test/hotspot/jtreg/gc/g1/TestEagerReclaimHumongousRegions.java b/test/hotspot/jtreg/gc/g1/TestEagerReclaimHumongousRegions.java
index fd1924b9644..962b5a9352a 100644
--- a/test/hotspot/jtreg/gc/g1/TestEagerReclaimHumongousRegions.java
+++ b/test/hotspot/jtreg/gc/g1/TestEagerReclaimHumongousRegions.java
@@ -192,13 +192,17 @@ public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
 
 class TestEagerReclaimHumongousRegionsClearMarkBitsRunner {
     private static final WhiteBox WB = WhiteBox.getWhiteBox();
-    private static final int SIZE = 1024 * 1024;
+    private static final int SIZE = 1024 * 1024 * 3 / 2;
 
     private static Object allocateHumongousObj(boolean useTypeArray) {
         if (useTypeArray) {
             return new int[SIZE];
         } else {
-            return new Object[SIZE];
+            Object[] result = new Object[SIZE];
+            // Create a self-references from outside the humongous-starts
+            // region should not prevent reclamation.
+            result[result.length - 1] = result;
+            return result;
         }
     }