diff --git a/java/ql/lib/change-notes/2022-09-20-CompilationUnit-getATypeInScope.md b/java/ql/lib/change-notes/2022-09-20-CompilationUnit-getATypeInScope.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..dfb7e9390601
--- /dev/null
+++ b/java/ql/lib/change-notes/2022-09-20-CompilationUnit-getATypeInScope.md
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+---
+category: feature
+---
+* Added the predicate `CompilationUnit.getATypeInScope()`.
diff --git a/java/ql/lib/semmle/code/java/CompilationUnit.qll b/java/ql/lib/semmle/code/java/CompilationUnit.qll
index 9b4b58e9a9bd..74396e7086b4 100644
--- a/java/ql/lib/semmle/code/java/CompilationUnit.qll
+++ b/java/ql/lib/semmle/code/java/CompilationUnit.qll
@@ -31,5 +31,38 @@ class CompilationUnit extends Element, File {
    */
   Module getModule() { cumodule(this, result) }
 
+  /**
+   * Gets a type which is available in the top-level scope of this compilation unit.
+   * This can be a type:
+   * - declared in this compilation unit as top-level type
+   * - imported with an `import` declaration
+   * - declared in the same package as this compilation unit
+   * - declared in the package `java.lang`
+   *
+   * This predicate not consider "shadowing", it can have types as result whose simple name is
+   * shadowed by another type in scope.
+   */
+  ClassOrInterface getATypeInScope() {
+    // See "Shadowing", https://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se17/html/jls-6.html#jls-6.4.1
+    // Currently shadowing is not considered
+    result.(TopLevelType).getCompilationUnit() = this
+    or
+    exists(Import importDecl | importDecl.getCompilationUnit() = this |
+      result =
+        [
+          importDecl.(ImportStaticTypeMember).getATypeImport(),
+          importDecl.(ImportType).getImportedType(),
+          importDecl.(ImportStaticOnDemand).getATypeImport(),
+          importDecl.(ImportOnDemandFromType).getAnImport(),
+          importDecl.(ImportOnDemandFromPackage).getAnImport(),
+        ]
+    )
+    or
+    // From same package or java.lang, see https://docs.oracle.com/javase/specs/jls/se17/html/jls-7.html
+    result.(TopLevelType).getPackage() = this.getPackage()
+    or
+    result.(TopLevelType).getPackage().hasName("java.lang")
+  }
+
   override string getAPrimaryQlClass() { result = "CompilationUnit" }
 }
diff --git a/java/ql/src/Advisory/Documentation/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.ql b/java/ql/src/Advisory/Documentation/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.ql
index 7e2738af1e1b..3111c704b4d3 100644
--- a/java/ql/src/Advisory/Documentation/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.ql
+++ b/java/ql/src/Advisory/Documentation/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.ql
@@ -11,22 +11,20 @@
 
 import java
 
-RefType getTaggedType(ThrowsTag tag) {
+ClassOrInterface getTaggedType(ThrowsTag tag) {
   result.hasName(tag.getExceptionName()) and
-  exists(ImportType i | i.getFile() = tag.getFile() | i.getImportedType() = result)
+  result = tag.getFile().(CompilationUnit).getATypeInScope()
 }
 
-predicate canThrow(Callable callable, RefType exception) {
-  exists(string uncheckedException |
-    uncheckedException = "RuntimeException" or uncheckedException = "Error"
-  |
-    exception.getAnAncestor().hasQualifiedName("java.lang", uncheckedException)
-  )
+predicate canThrow(Callable callable, Class exception) {
+  exception instanceof UncheckedThrowableType
   or
   callable.getAnException().getType().getADescendant() = exception
 }
 
-from ThrowsTag throwsTag, RefType thrownType, Callable docMethod
+// Uses ClassOrInterface as type for thrownType to also cover case where erroneously an interface
+// type is declared as thrown exception
+from ThrowsTag throwsTag, ClassOrInterface thrownType, Callable docMethod
 where
   getTaggedType(throwsTag) = thrownType and
   docMethod.getDoc().getJavadoc().getAChild*() = throwsTag and
diff --git a/java/ql/test/query-tests/Javadoc/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.expected b/java/ql/test/query-tests/Javadoc/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.expected
index f94a6f61f33a..5b031604e567 100644
--- a/java/ql/test/query-tests/Javadoc/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.expected
+++ b/java/ql/test/query-tests/Javadoc/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.expected
@@ -1,2 +1,3 @@
 | ImpossibleJavadocThrows.java:9:5:9:12 | @throws | Javadoc for bad1 claims to throw InterruptedException but this is impossible. |
 | ImpossibleJavadocThrows.java:16:5:16:15 | @exception | Javadoc for bad2 claims to throw Exception but this is impossible. |
+| ImpossibleJavadocThrows.java:23:5:23:12 | @throws | Javadoc for bad3 claims to throw Runnable but this is impossible. |
diff --git a/java/ql/test/query-tests/Javadoc/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.java b/java/ql/test/query-tests/Javadoc/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.java
index 7ba8988c38be..b0b27397359b 100644
--- a/java/ql/test/query-tests/Javadoc/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.java
+++ b/java/ql/test/query-tests/Javadoc/ImpossibleJavadocThrows.java
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@ public void bad1() {
 	public void bad2() {
 	}
 	
+	/**
+	 * 
+	 * @throws Runnable
+	 */
+	public void bad3() {
+	}
+	
 	/**
 	 * 
 	 * @throws InterruptedException