Do you need to know the java programming language to do java scriptinga?

Simple answer: No.

When "JavaScript" was invented, Java was the hot new language and Netscape picked a name with Java in it just to get attention. There's no real connection beyond that. The boring name for JavaScript is EcmaScript, since it was the European Computer Manufacturers Association (ECMA) that published the international standard for the language. That's official, more or less, but most everyone still calls it JavaScript.

As for what you need to know, the general "rule" is Java for applications, JavaScript for web pages.

There is some use of JavaScript for general-purpose scripting. Window Script Host can use JScript (their version of JavaScript) for scripting Windows actions. Mostly, though, it's for web pages.

Java is useful for desktop applications, enterprise computing, and for "applets" on web pages. (A Java applet is a sort of a "smart" window within a web page. They have lost much of their early appeal, since Flash, Silverlight and now HTML5 can do much of what applets can do, and tend to load and display much faster.)

Java and Javascript are two separate programming languages. Although they share some features, they are quite different. You can use either one without being familiar with the other.

JavaScript and Java are not related. There are many differences between the two.

You do not need to know anything about Java in order to learn JavaScript.

Java has an ..java extension whereas java scripting may be .js or .jsp files you should know html and preliminary java like using system.out.println(in java) to out.println(in java scripting) to know java scripting which is actually meant for naive java users/developers not the rocket scientists of java .

They are two different approaches to Web Development. And are not inter-dependent. Java can do a lot more than JS...it is not limited to Web browsers.