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# Sexual Assault Charges at Okinawa, Japan, 2017–2018: Pleas, Verdicts, and Sentences
- URL: https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/okinawa-japan-article-120-2017-2018/
- Published: 2026-10-28T06:51:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-03T01:47:34.000Z
- Description: All 20 enlisted members convicted in Article 120 (sexual assault) cases at Okinawa, Japan in 2017 and 2018 received a punitive discharge, and 18 of those were dishonorable. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the rate was 88%. Every conviction carried confinement.
- Author: Jocelyn C. Stewart
- Tags: Understanding Trends, Okinawa, Japan, Article 120, Navy-Marine Corps

[Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/) › [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) › [Okinawa, Japan](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-okinawa-japan/) › Article 120, 2017–2018

**Short answer:** All 20 enlisted members convicted in Article 120 (sexual assault) cases at Okinawa, Japan in 2017 and 2018 received a punitive discharge, and 18 of those were dishonorable. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the rate was 88%. Every conviction carried confinement. The median was 3.5 years, compared with 3.8 years service-wide, and 19 of 20 sentences were longer than one year (95%).

Based on 21 cases · 2017–2018 · Navy and Marine Corps records · data updated October 24, 2026

## A Punitive Discharge in Every Conviction

Okinawa had 21 sexual assault cases in 2017 and 2018\. They produced 20 convictions, all of enlisted members, and every one included a punitive discharge. 18 were dishonorable discharges and 2 were bad-conduct discharges. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases in 2017–2018, the punitive discharge rate was 88%.

A dishonorable discharge is the most severe discharge for an enlisted member, and only a general court-martial can impose it. A bad-conduct discharge is the less severe punitive discharge. A member sentenced without either can still face administrative separation, which these records do not cover.

## Confinement in Every Conviction

All 20 sentences included confinement. The median confinement was 3.5 years, lower than the 3.8 years for all Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases in these years. A quarter of the sentences were 8 years or longer.

No conviction here carried less than 6 months of confinement. In the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps, 10% of convictions carried no confinement and 7% carried under 6 months. Only 1 sentence (5%) was between 6 months and 1 year. 11 sentences (55%) were more than 1 year but under 5 years. 8 sentences (40%) were 5 years or more.

| Adjudged confinement            | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide Article 120 cases |
| ------------------------------- | ----------- | ---------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| No confinement                  | 0           | 0%         | 10%                                                 |
| Under 6 months                  | 0           | 0%         | 7%                                                  |
| 6 months to 1 year              | 1           | 5%         | 9%                                                  |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 11          | 55%        | 37%                                                 |
| 5 years or more                 | 8           | 40%        | 38%                                                 |

## Compared With the Rest of the Service

19 of 20 convictions here (95%) carried more than one year of confinement, compared with 75% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 120 cases overall. The largest difference was in the band from more than 1 year to under 5 years: 55% here compared with 37%. The share of sentences of 5 years or more was about the same: 40% here and 38% elsewhere.

These are adjudged sentences, as announced at trial and before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case. That matters here because most cases had more than one charge.

## Charges Filed With Article 120

18 of the 21 cases charged at least one other article with Article 120\. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 17 cases. Article 120b (child sexual abuse) and Article 80 (attempt) appeared in 11 each. Article 82 (solicitation) and Article 134 (general article) appeared in 4 each.

Child sexual abuse charges were common: 11 of 21 cases included one. A sentence covers the whole case. For that reason, the confinement figures above are not the sentence for an adult sexual assault charge alone.

## Who Was Tried, and at What Level

Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 65% of the accused, NCOs 35%, and officers 0%. In the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps, junior enlisted members made up 51% of those charged under Article 120.

20 cases were tried by general court-martial and 1 by special court-martial. The general court-martial share was 95%, compared with 91% elsewhere. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.

## 30% of Okinawa's Cases

The cases were tried from January 2017 to December 2018: 11 in 2017 and 10 in 2018\. They were 30% of the 70 courts-martial at Okinawa, Japan in those years. With this few cases, each case moves the percentages by several points. The comparisons with the whole service show direction, not exact size.

## Rules That Applied

These trials took place before the Military Justice Act of 2016 took effect on January 1, 2019\. That law later set fixed panel sizes, created judge-alone special courts-martial capped at six months with no punitive discharge, and introduced written plea agreements. None of those changes applied to the cases here.

Article 120 was rewritten in 2012 and amended again for offenses on or after January 1, 2019\. Each case is charged under the version in force when the offense happened.

## What the Records Cannot Show

The records show charges, findings, and sentences. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea and forum, so this page reports no plea or verdict breakdown. The records do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or the offense dates. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment, administrative separation, or no action are not counted.

For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see [Article 120 on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com). Dates and sources for the law changes: [UCMJ change timeline](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/ucmj-change-timeline/).

### How We Counted

Courts-martial tried at Okinawa, Japan in 2017–2018 that charged Article 120 (21 cases), compared with every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 120 in those years.

Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in [Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/), data updated October 24, 2026\. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: [how this data was built](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/how-the-military-trial-results-data-was-built/). Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.

## Related Analysis

- [Okinawa, Japan: Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/courts-martial-at-okinawa-japan/) (hub)
- [Article 120 (Rape and Sexual Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/article-120-courts-martial/) (hub)
- [By Installation](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/by-installation/) (hub)
- [Okinawa, Japan, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 100 Cases](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/okinawa-japan-courts-martial-2019-2023/)
- [Inside 70 Courts-Martial at Okinawa, Japan, 2017–2018](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/okinawa-japan-courts-martial-2017-2018/)
- [Inside 50 Courts-Martial at Okinawa, Japan, 2024–2026](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/okinawa-japan-courts-martial-2024-2026/)
- [Sexual Assault Cases at Okinawa, Japan: 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/okinawa-japan-article-120-before-after-2019/)
- [Is Navy-Marine Corps Sexual Assault Prosecution Rising or Falling? Article 120, 2017–2025](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/navy-marine-corps-article-120-trend-2017-2025/)
- [S2 E1: Article 120 Dismissal & the Aftermath](https://www.bodiesburied.com/s2e1-article-120-dismissal-the-aftermath/) (podcast, members)
- [Article 120 explained on the law firm's website](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/ucmj/article-120-sexual-assault/?ref=bodiesburied.com)
- [Search every case in Military Trial Results](https://www.bodiesburied.com/military-trial-results/) (members)

**Compare: federal court.** [Sexual Abuse of an Adult: Federal Cases vs. Article 120 Courts-Martial](https://www.bodiesburied.com/trends/federal-sexual-abuse-adult-vs-article-120/)

**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](https://www.ucmj-defender.com/?ref=bodiesburied.com). This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.