diff --git a/debugfs/debugfs.c b/debugfs/debugfs.c
index 909c1df39..8acb56a4d 100644
--- a/debugfs/debugfs.c
+++ b/debugfs/debugfs.c
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 #include <string.h>
 #include <time.h>
 #include <libgen.h>
+#include <locale.h>
 #ifdef HAVE_GETOPT_H
 #include <getopt.h>
 #else
@@ -2571,6 +2572,8 @@ int main(int argc, char **argv)
 	char		*jbd_debug;
 #endif
 
+	setlocale(LC_CTYPE, "");
+
 	if (debug_prog_name == 0)
 #ifdef READ_ONLY
 		debug_prog_name = "rdebugfs";
diff --git a/misc/create_inode_libarchive.c b/misc/create_inode_libarchive.c
index d14efe81d..d094d1349 100644
--- a/misc/create_inode_libarchive.c
+++ b/misc/create_inode_libarchive.c
@@ -58,7 +58,6 @@ typedef ssize_t la_ssize_t;
 #endif /* HAVE_ARCHIVE_H */
 
 #include <libgen.h>
-#include <locale.h>
 
 static const char *(*dl_archive_entry_hardlink)(struct archive_entry *);
 static const char *(*dl_archive_entry_pathname)(struct archive_entry *);
@@ -583,8 +582,6 @@ errcode_t __populate_fs_from_tar(ext2_filsys fs, ext2_ino_t root_ino,
 	struct archive *a;
 	struct archive_entry *entry;
 	errcode_t retval = 0;
-	locale_t archive_locale;
-	locale_t old_locale;
 	ext2_ino_t dirinode, tmpino;
 	const struct stat *st;
 
@@ -594,8 +591,6 @@ errcode_t __populate_fs_from_tar(ext2_filsys fs, ext2_ino_t root_ino,
 		return 1;
 	}
 
-	archive_locale = newlocale(LC_CTYPE_MASK, "", (locale_t)0);
-	old_locale = uselocale(archive_locale);
 	a = dl_archive_read_new();
 	if (a == NULL) {
 		retval = 1;
@@ -720,8 +715,6 @@ errcode_t __populate_fs_from_tar(ext2_filsys fs, ext2_ino_t root_ino,
 out:
 	dl_archive_read_close(a);
 	dl_archive_read_free(a);
-	uselocale(old_locale);
-	freelocale(archive_locale);
 	return retval;
 }