Kadena AB, Japan Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 23 Cases Show
Kadena AB, Japan, tried 23 courts-martial from 2019 through 2023, The median confinement after conviction was 1 year, compared with 4 months across the Air Force. Of 14 convicted enlisted members, 12 received a punitive discharge (86%), compared with 56% in the rest of the Air Force.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Kadena AB, Japan › 2019–2023
Short answer: Kadena AB, Japan, tried 23 courts-martial from 2019 through 2023, The median confinement after conviction was 1 year, compared with 4 months across the Air Force. Of 14 convicted enlisted members, 12 received a punitive discharge (86%), compared with 56% in the rest of the Air Force.
A Median Confinement of 1 Year
Of the 23 cases, 15 ended in a conviction on at least one charge, and 14 of those sentences included confinement (93%). The median confinement was 1 year, longer than the 4 months across the Air Force. A quarter of the sentences were 2.5 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. They cover every charge in the case, so a long sentence can reflect several offenses at once.
Sentences 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 confinement of 2 months. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Most Convictions Ended With a Punitive Discharge
Among 14 enlisted members convicted, 12 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge, and 6 of those were dishonorable. That share, 86%, compares with 56% across the Air Force.
The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was dismissed. Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Most Recorded Pleas Were Not Guilty
Of the 18 records that list a plea, 12 were contested and 6 were guilty pleas. A contested case is one where the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 67%, compared with 50% across the Air Force.
Contested cases came at both court levels: 7 of 9 at general courts-martial and 5 of 9 at special courts-martial.
More Full Acquittals Than Across the Air Force
Of 12 contested cases with a verdict, 7 ended in a full acquittal (58%) and 1 in a partial acquittal (8%), meaning not guilty of at least one charge but guilty of another. The full-acquittal rate is higher than the 51% across the Air Force.
Air Force results give one verdict per case, so a partial acquittal shows up only when an appeals opinion reports it. Air Force records also rarely list charges in full acquittals, so the charge counts below are incomplete.
Members Heard Most Contested Cases
Members decided guilt in 39% of cases with the forum listed: 5 enlisted panels and 4 officer panels. The other 14 cases were decided by a military judge alone. Among contested cases, members heard 9 of 12 (75%).
The accused usually chooses between a judge alone and a panel of members. Most judge-alone cases are guilty pleas, so an installation with many contested cases usually has more panels.
Sexual Misconduct Was Charged More Often
The charge lists cover only 15 of the 23 cases. Within those, Article 134 (general article) was charged in 5 cases (33%, compared with 21% across the Air Force). Article 120c (other sexual misconduct) was charged in 4 (27%, compared with 3%), and Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) in 3 (20%, compared with 7%).
Drug charges were less common than elsewhere. Article 112a was charged in 2 cases (13%), compared with 41% across the Air Force.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Air Force-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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% |
Compared With Barksdale and 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: 1 year, compared with 2 months at Barksdale and 9 months at Lakenheath.
Lakenheath had the highest contested share: 87%, compared with 67% at Kadena and 40% at Barksdale. The punitive discharge share was 86% at Kadena, 56% at Barksdale, and 75% at Lakenheath.
| 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% |
2016–2018 Compared With 2019–2023
In 2016–2018, Kadena had 19 cases, about 6 a year. Since then it has had about 5 a year, counting full years only. The median confinement went from 2 years to 1 year. The punitive discharge share went from 88% to 86%. General courts-martial went from 79% to 52% of cases.
The yearly counts from 2019 through 2023 were 5, 2, 8, 6, and 2. The 23 cases were 2% of the 1,361 Air Force courts-martial in those years. With numbers this small, a few cases can change any percentage.
| 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% |
Who Was Accused, and What Is Missing
By rank, 19 accused were junior enlisted, 3 were NCOs, and 1 was an officer. This group was more junior than the Air Force as a whole. General courts-martial were 52% of cases, compared with 53% across the Air Force.
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or plea terms, Air Force records never report plea agreements, and cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial in the data tried at Kadena AB, Japan with a trial date in 2019–2023 (23 cases), compared with all 1,361 Air Force trials in those years. Dates are trial dates.
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)
- Air Force Courts-Martial: Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Kadena AB, Japan, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 19 Cases (another period)
- Inside 23 Courts-Martial at Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2019–2023 (same years, similar size)
- RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 23 Cases (same years, similar size)
- Andersen AFB, Guam Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 13 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy Courts-Martial, 2016–2018: What 16 Cases Show
- Aviano AB, Italy, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 17 Cases
- Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, 2016–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 27 Cases
- 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.