Certainly. However, look at the typical Spring web application. There's 1000 lines of XML supporting the application, which is three times the size of the equivalent ruby/python application because of all of the mechanics of setting and getting and factories, etc. This is compounded by a culture that values verbosity over GTD.

Java can be written concisely. However, it's fighting against the language, and most of the libraries will prevent you from doing so. That said, it's perfect for consultingware for the same reason: I can't think of a better platform than Spring to develop customized applications based on a common platform. Write a piece of new business logic in a series of classes and maintain an xml file for each client.

Mind you, the side project I'm working on is in java because it's going to develop into a business for small and medium sized businesses who often are comforted by the idea of hundreds of thousands of people who already work in the domain.