Specific to java, The signature of a method should contain more details. It should contain
1. Visibility modifier (public, private, protected)
2. Return type
3. Name of the method
4. Arguments (type, order)
5. Throws clause

Furthermore, in response to the first reply where the question was:

myMethod(int i, int j); // does the signature include the ';'?

I repeat: a method signature doesn't exist in a text file, or in java source - it exists only in your head or in the compiler's "head".

There's nothing to do with the return type or throws clause regarding method signature.

As you guys have discussed in above posts, only the parameter types with the order metters.

eg:
public Object doSomething(String param1, Object param2) throws Exception;
public void     doSomething(Object param2, String param1);

This code is not permitted coz if I write

A a = new A();
a.getSomething();

the JVM wouldn't know which method to call !

The Java method signature contains only method name and parameter list. It doesn't contain visibility modifier, return type and throws clause because of the following reason..

Consider the following code:

class A {
  public A x(int l) {
    //some code
  }
}

class B extends A {
  public B x(int k) {
    //some code
  }
}

Now, implementation of method x in class B is an example of overriding, which is also logically correct. However, this would not have been the case if return type was made part of signature. In that case, JVM would not know the difference between the two methods since B instanceof A is true.