The Java Platform is a set of tools and technologies that allows developers to create and run applications written in the Java programming language. It includes the Java Development Kit (JDK), which provides the necessary tools for writing and compiling Java code, and the Java Runtime Environment (JRE), which allows users to run Java applications on their devices. The platform is designed to be platform-independent, meaning that Java applications can run on any operating system that has a compatible JRE. This is achieved through the use of the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which interprets Java bytecode and executes it on the host machine, ensuring consistent performance across different environments.