I would see it so that:
1. Java is the easiest language and fastest to program because simple syntax, easy memory management and good libraries.. It is mature and working language, but because it is run on virtual machine, it cannot be used when more low-level environment support is needed and with performance critical applications.. One of the best features of Java is portability.. Ones you build the java program, it will run on every environment..
2. C is a low-level language, which has big difficulties on memory management and difficult pointer arithmetics.. Any bigger C applications face a serious risk of memory leaks.. C is good to know, but perhaps it is somewhat obsolete and shouldn't be used for application programming.. It is still the standard in the POSIX world..
3. C++ is a complicated language, it requires lot of time to learn and it also has the pointers.. Still, C++ is rather powerful language and it has good abilities for building mature object-oriented code and good support for memory management.. It typically requires more effort than Java to develope anything, but it can be used for accessing the environment functionality and it can be used for performance critical applications..

It is also good to realize that all this languages are related to each other.. First was C, then C++ was based upon it and Java was based upon both C and C++.. Learning one language helps learning the other..

- BtD

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[George Orwell, 1984]