diff --git a/java/droiddoc.go b/java/droiddoc.go
index f54b51711..c74009ea4 100644
--- a/java/droiddoc.go
+++ b/java/droiddoc.go
@@ -192,24 +192,6 @@ type DroidstubsProperties struct {
 
 		Current ApiToCheck
 
-		// The java_sdk_library module generates references to modules (i.e. filegroups)
-		// from which information about the latest API version can be obtained. As those
-		// modules may not exist (e.g. because a previous version has not been released) it
-		// sets ignore_missing_latest_api=true on the droidstubs modules it creates so
-		// that droidstubs can ignore those references if the modules do not yet exist.
-		//
-		// If true then this will ignore module references for modules that do not exist
-		// in properties that supply the previous version of the API.
-		//
-		// There are two sets of those:
-		// * Api_file, Removed_api_file in check_api.last_released
-		// * New_since in check_api.api_lint.new_since
-		//
-		// The first two must be set as a pair, so either they should both exist or neither
-		// should exist - in which case when this property is true they are ignored. If one
-		// exists and the other does not then it is an error.
-		Ignore_missing_latest_api *bool `blueprint:"mutated"`
-
 		Api_lint struct {
 			Enabled *bool
 
@@ -304,25 +286,6 @@ func apiCheckEnabled(ctx android.ModuleContext, apiToCheck ApiToCheck, apiVersio
 	return false
 }
 
-func ignoreMissingModules(ctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext, apiToCheck *ApiToCheck) {
-	apiFile := String(apiToCheck.Api_file)
-	removedApiFile := String(apiToCheck.Removed_api_file)
-
-	apiModule := android.SrcIsModule(apiFile)
-	removedApiModule := android.SrcIsModule(removedApiFile)
-
-	if apiModule == "" || removedApiModule == "" {
-		return
-	}
-
-	if ctx.OtherModuleExists(apiModule) || ctx.OtherModuleExists(removedApiModule) {
-		return
-	}
-
-	apiToCheck.Api_file = nil
-	apiToCheck.Removed_api_file = nil
-}
-
 // Used by xsd_config
 type ApiFilePath interface {
 	ApiFilePath() android.Path
@@ -1079,24 +1042,6 @@ func (d *Droidstubs) StubsSrcJar() android.Path {
 func (d *Droidstubs) DepsMutator(ctx android.BottomUpMutatorContext) {
 	d.Javadoc.addDeps(ctx)
 
-	// If requested clear any properties that provide information about the latest version
-	// of an API and which reference non-existent modules.
-	if Bool(d.properties.Check_api.Ignore_missing_latest_api) {
-		previousApi := android.SrcIsModule(String(d.properties.Previous_api))
-		if previousApi != "" && !ctx.OtherModuleExists(previousApi) {
-			d.properties.Previous_api = nil
-		}
-		ignoreMissingModules(ctx, &d.properties.Check_api.Last_released)
-
-		// If the new_since references a module, e.g. :module-latest-api and the module
-		// does not exist then clear it.
-		newSinceSrc := d.properties.Check_api.Api_lint.New_since
-		newSinceSrcModule := android.SrcIsModule(proptools.String(newSinceSrc))
-		if newSinceSrcModule != "" && !ctx.OtherModuleExists(newSinceSrcModule) {
-			d.properties.Check_api.Api_lint.New_since = nil
-		}
-	}
-
 	if len(d.properties.Merge_annotations_dirs) != 0 {
 		for _, mergeAnnotationsDir := range d.properties.Merge_annotations_dirs {
 			ctx.AddDependency(ctx.Module(), metalavaMergeAnnotationsDirTag, mergeAnnotationsDir)
diff --git a/java/sdk_library.go b/java/sdk_library.go
index 4f3c22fd2..1a655a627 100644
--- a/java/sdk_library.go
+++ b/java/sdk_library.go
@@ -1273,9 +1273,8 @@ func (module *SdkLibrary) createStubsSourcesAndApi(mctx android.DefaultableHookC
 		Generate_stubs                   *bool
 		Previous_api                     *string
 		Check_api                        struct {
-			Current                   ApiToCheck
-			Last_released             ApiToCheck
-			Ignore_missing_latest_api *bool
+			Current       ApiToCheck
+			Last_released ApiToCheck
 
 			Api_lint struct {
 				Enabled       *bool
@@ -1358,9 +1357,8 @@ func (module *SdkLibrary) createStubsSourcesAndApi(mctx android.DefaultableHookC
 	// check against the not-yet-release API
 	props.Check_api.Current.Api_file = proptools.StringPtr(currentApiFileName)
 	props.Check_api.Current.Removed_api_file = proptools.StringPtr(removedApiFileName)
-	props.Check_api.Ignore_missing_latest_api = proptools.BoolPtr(module.sdkLibraryProperties.Unsafe_ignore_missing_latest_api)
 
-	if !apiScope.unstable {
+	if !(apiScope.unstable || module.sdkLibraryProperties.Unsafe_ignore_missing_latest_api) {
 		// check against the latest released API
 		latestApiFilegroupName := proptools.StringPtr(module.latestApiFilegroupName(apiScope))
 		props.Previous_api = latestApiFilegroupName