Oracle says it expects to deprecate the plugin in JDK 9, slated for release in September, and JRE in a future Java SE release. The move is a result of many browsers electing to move on from plugin based technologies. Google disabled NPAPI, turning off often meddlesome plugins like Java and Silverlight, by default last April. Internet Explorer and Safari are expected to be the only browsers left that will accept NPAPI plugins after this year. Java was a beloved target for attackers over the years.
Source: https://threatpost.com/oracle-to-kill-java-browser-plugin/116065/