The following rather long code, reduced from the same example as issue30626, produces a SystemError:

import builtins
from importlib.machinery import PathFinder
import importlib
import sys
import _imp
from functools import partial
def copy_module(module):
    new = type(sys)(module.__name__)
    new.__dict__.update(module.__dict__)
    return new
_absent = object()
def new_exec(code, globals=_absent, locals=_absent, *, new_builtins):
    if globals == _absent:
        frame = sys._getframe(2)
        globals = frame.f_globals
        locals = frame.f_locals
    elif locals == _absent:
        locals = globals
    globals.setdefault("__builtins__", new_builtins);
    return exec(code, globals, locals)
dct={}
dct["__builtins__"] = b = copy_module(builtins)
b.exec = partial(new_exec, new_builtins=b)
spec = PathFinder.find_spec("_bootstrap",importlib.__path__)
source_bootstrap = type(sys)("_bootstrap");
spec.loader.exec_module(source_bootstrap);
external_spec = PathFinder.find_spec("_bootstrap_external",importlib.__path__)
source_bootstrap_external = type(sys)("_bootstrap_external");
external_spec.loader.exec_module(source_bootstrap_external);
source_bootstrap.__name__ = "importlib._bootstrap";
source_bootstrap_external.__name__ = "importlib._bootstrap_external";
new_sys = copy_module(sys)
new_sys.path_importer_cache = {}
new_sys.path_hooks = []
new_sys.meta_path = []
new_sys.modules = {
                    "importlib._bootstrap":source_bootstrap,
                    "importlib._bootstrap_external":source_bootstrap_external,
                  }
for mod in new_sys.modules.values():
    mod.__builtins__ = b
b.__import__ = source_bootstrap.__import__
source_bootstrap._install(new_sys,_imp)
exec("import _pickle", dct)

I get the following error on 3.7:

$ ./python issue30873.py 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "issue30873.py", line 44, in <module>
    exec("import _pickle", dct)
  File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 1059, in __import__
    module = _gcd_import(name)
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 986, in _gcd_import
    return _find_and_load(name, _gcd_import)
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 963, in _find_and_load
    return _find_and_load_unlocked(name, import_)
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 948, in _find_and_load_unlocked
    raise ModuleNotFoundError(_ERR_MSG.format(name), name=name)
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named '_pickle'

On 3.6:

$ ./python issue30873.py 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "issue30873.py", line 44, in <module>
    exec("import _pickle", dct)
  File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython3.6/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 1059, in __import__
    module = _gcd_import(name)
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython3.6/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 986, in _gcd_import
    return _find_and_load(name, _gcd_import)
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython3.6/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 963, in _find_and_load
    return _find_and_load_unlocked(name, import_)
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython3.6/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 950, in _find_and_load_unlocked
    module = _load_unlocked(spec)
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython3.6/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 648, in _load_unlocked
    module = module_from_spec(spec)
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython3.6/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 560, in module_from_spec
    module = spec.loader.create_module(spec)
  File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap_external>", line 922, in create_module
  File "/home/serhiy/py/cpython3.6/Lib/importlib/_bootstrap.py", line 205, in _call_with_frames_removed
    return f(*args, **kwds)
KeyError: 'copyreg'

Interesting. For you, `_pickle` seems to be an extension module, which is thus trying to call `imp.create_dynamic`, whereas for me it is a builtin module. Perhaps that explains why you get a KeyError and I get a SystemError (my traceback ends with):
  File "C:\Program Files\Python36\lib\importlib\_bootstrap.py", line 560, in module_from_spec
    module = spec.loader.create_module(spec)
  File "C:\Program Files\Python36\lib\importlib\_bootstrap.py", line 725, in create_module
    return _call_with_frames_removed(_imp.create_builtin, spec)
  File "C:\Program Files\Python36\lib\importlib\_bootstrap.py", line 205, in _call_with_frames_removed
    return f(*args, **kwds)
SystemError: <built-in function create_builtin> returned NULL without setting an error
(and is the same as your 3.6 traceback up to that point)

Ah, this is Windows-only _imp.create_builtin().

ppperry: First, please create a Python script and attach it to the issue, it would make it easier to reproduce the bug. Second, which Python version did you test? I tested 3.6 and master Git branches on Windows, and I'm unable to reproduce the bug.

I'm able to reproduce the bug on Windows using Python 3.6.1, but this version still contains issue30626 bug. I'm unable to reproduce the bug using 3.6.2rc2, so to be, this bug is just a duplicate of issue30626.

Please try: https://www.python.org/downloads/release/python-362rc2/

superseder: "SystemError: <class '_io.TextIOWrapper'> returned NULL without setting an error" from open function

nosy: + vstinner
messages: + msg298062
resolution: duplicate
stage: resolved