Kadena AB, Japan Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
Kadena AB, Japan had 23 courts-martial in 2019–2023. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 4 months across the Air Force, and 86% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 56%.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Kadena AB, Japan › Before and after 2019
Short answer: Kadena AB, Japan had 23 courts-martial in 2019–2023. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 4 months across the Air Force, and 86% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge, compared with 56%. The median confinement in 2016–2018 was 2 years, and general courts-martial made up 79% of cases then, compared with 52% later.
Punitive Discharges for Most Convicted Airmen
Of 14 convicted enlisted members, 12 received a bad-conduct discharge or a dishonorable discharge (86%). Of those 12, 6 were dishonorable. Across the Air Force in 2019–2023, 56% of convicted enlisted members received a punitive discharge.
The share at Kadena was 88% in 2016–2018, about the same as the later period. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Median Confinement of 1 Year
There were 15 convictions on at least 1 charge, and 14 included confinement (93%). The median confinement was 1 year. The Air Force median in the same years was 4 months. A quarter of the sentences with confinement at Kadena were 2.5 years or longer.
Results differed by court level. The 12 general courts-martial had a median confinement of 1.7 years. The 11 special courts-martial had a median of 2 months. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal.
Sexual Misconduct Charges
Charges are listed in 15 of the 23 records. Article 134, the general article, appeared in 5 cases (33%), compared with 21% Air Force-wide. Article 120c (other sexual misconduct) appeared in 4 cases (27%), compared with 3%. Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 3 cases (20%), compared with 7%.
Drug charges were less common. Article 112a appeared in 2 cases (13%), compared with 41% across the Air Force. 1 case charged Article 130, which covered housebreaking before 2019 and stalking since.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Air Force docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 134 General article | 5 | 33% | 21% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 4 | 27% | 3% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 3 | 20% | 7% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 2 | 13% | 16% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 2 | 13% | 41% |
| Art. 109 Property other than military; waste, spoilage, destruction | 1 | 7% | 1% |
| Art. 130 Housebreaking before 2019, stalking since | 1 | 7% | 1% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 1 | 7% | 11% |
Contested Cases and Full Acquittals
Of the 18 records that list a plea, 12 were contested and 6 were guilty pleas. The contested share, 67%, was higher than the 50% across the Air Force. A contested case is a not-guilty or mixed plea.
All 12 contested cases reached a verdict. Full acquittals came in 58% of them, compared with 51% Air Force-wide. 1 more ended in a partial acquittal. Air Force results give one verdict per case, so partial acquittals appear only when an appeals opinion reports them.
Panels Heard Most Contested Cases
A military judge alone decided 14 of the 23 cases (61%). Members heard 9: 5 enlisted panels and 4 officer panels. Among the 12 contested cases, members heard 9 (75%). The accused usually chooses whether a judge alone or a panel decides guilt.
Before and After 2019
In 2016–2018, the records show 19 cases at Kadena, about 6 a year. From January 2019 through October 2023, they show 23, about 5 a year. By year there were 5 cases in 2019, 2 in 2020, 8 in 2021, 6 in 2022, and 2 in 2023.
The median confinement went from 2 years to 1 year. Convictions with confinement went from 88% to 93%. The share of general courts-martial went from 79% to 52%. A special court-martial caps confinement at 1 year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. In groups this small, a few cases can move these figures.
| 2016–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 19 | 23 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 67% |
| Convictions with confinement | 88% | 93% |
| Median confinement | 2 years | 1 year |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 88% | 86% |
| General courts-martial | 79% | 52% |
Mostly Junior Enlisted Accused
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 83% of the accused, NCOs 13%, and officers 4%. Across the Air Force, junior enlisted members were 64% of the accused. General courts-martial, which can impose a dishonorable discharge, heard 12 of the 23 cases.
Next to Barksdale and RAF Lakenheath
Barksdale AFB, Louisiana and RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom each tried 23 cases in the same years. Kadena had the longest median confinement of the 3, at 1 year, compared with 2 months at Barksdale and 9 months at RAF Lakenheath. It also had the highest punitive discharge rate, 86%, compared with 56% at Barksdale and 75% at RAF Lakenheath.
RAF Lakenheath had more contested cases, 87%, compared with 67% at Kadena and 40% at Barksdale. In decided contested cases, Kadena had 7 full acquittals out of 12, Barksdale 4 out of 8, and RAF Lakenheath 5 out of 12.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kadena AB, Japan | 23 | 67% | 7 of 12 | 1 year | 86% |
| Barksdale AFB, Louisiana | 23 | 40% | 4 of 8 | 2 months | 56% |
| RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom | 23 | 87% | 5 of 12 | 9 months | 75% |
What These Records Cannot Show
The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or offense dates, and they leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations. Air Force records rarely list charges in full acquittals and never report plea agreements.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Kadena AB, Japan in 2016–2018 (19) and 2019–2023 (23).
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Kadena AB, Japan: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Kadena AB, Japan Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 23 Cases Show
- Kadena AB, Japan, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 19 Cases
- Andersen AFB, Guam Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2016–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
- Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Kadena AB, Japan, 2019–2023
- James R. Dorman
- Joseph S. Imburgia
- Christopher D. James
- Jennifer E. Powell
- Matthew P. Stoffel
- Charles E. Wiedie Jr.
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.