Did Assault Cases at Okinawa, Japan Change After 2019?
Some measures changed. Okinawa, Japan tried 36 courts-martial charging Article 128 (assault) in 2019–2023, compared with 29 in 2017–2018. Median confinement went from 2 years to 1.1 years, and punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 90% to 62%.
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Trends › By Installation › Okinawa, Japan › Article 128
Short answer: Some measures changed. Okinawa, Japan tried 36 courts-martial charging Article 128 (assault) in 2019–2023, compared with 29 in 2017–2018. Median confinement went from 2 years to 1.1 years, and punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 90% to 62%. Sentences were still longer than across the service: the 1.1-year median compares with 6 months in Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases overall.
What Changed After 2018
Median confinement went from 2 years in 2017–2018 to 1.1 years in 2019–2023. Punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 90% to 62%. Convictions with confinement went from 97% to 91%. General courts-martial went from 69% to 56% of cases.
The 2017–2018 records show 29 assault cases over 2 years, about 14 a year. Since then the rate has been about 7 a year. Only 3 earlier records list a plea, and 0 of those 3 were contested, too few to compare. With groups this small, a few cases can move these numbers, so they show direction, not precise change.
| 2017–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 29 | 36 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 0 of 3 | 19% |
| Convictions with confinement | 97% | 91% |
| Median confinement | 2 years | 1.1 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 90% | 62% |
| General courts-martial | 69% | 56% |
Year by Year Since 2019
The 36 cases were tried from February 2019 through August 2023. The number fell each year: 10 cases in 2019, 9 in 2020, 8 in 2021, 5 in 2022, and 4 in 2023. Assault cases were 36% of the 100 courts-martial at Okinawa in 2019–2023.
The accused were 24 junior enlisted members, 8 NCOs, and 1 officer. That group is more junior than in the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole.
Sentences Compared With the Service
The median confinement of 1.1 years compares with 6 months in Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases. Of 33 convictions, 30 carried confinement, and a quarter of the sentences were 2 years or more.
Sentences of more than one year came in 15 of 33 convictions (45%), compared with 24% in the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. The band of more than 1 year and under 5 years accounts for most of that difference: 39% here and 19% service-wide. At the other end, 9% of convictions here carried no confinement, compared with 14%.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide Article 128 cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 3 | 9% | 14% |
| Under 6 months | 10 | 30% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 5 | 15% | 27% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 13 | 39% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 2 | 6% | 5% |
Most Cases at the General Court-Martial Level
A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence. The 20 general courts-martial here (56%) compare with 52% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Their median confinement was 1.9 years.
A special court-martial is capped at one year of confinement and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge. The 16 special courts-martial here had a median confinement of 4 months.
Punitive Discharges About the Same as the Service
9 convicted enlisted members received a dishonorable discharge and 11 received a bad-conduct discharge. Together that is 62% of enlisted convictions, about the same as the 61% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases. Only a general court-martial can impose a dishonorable discharge.
Dismissal is the officer equivalent of a punitive discharge. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Few Contested Cases
A contested case is one with a not-guilty or mixed plea. 3 of the 16 cases with a plea recorded were contested, and 13 accused pleaded guilty. That is 19% contested, compared with 40% in Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases.
The other 20 records list no plea. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. The records also do not show why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.
Other Charges in the Same Cases
Sexual assault under Article 120 was charged in 13 of the 36 cases. In total, 25 cases charged at least one article besides Article 128. Child sexual abuse under Article 120b and the general article, Article 134, were each charged in 5. Orders violations under Article 92 were charged in 4, and false official statements under Article 107 in 3.
An assault charge filed with sexual assault or domestic violence can describe part of the same incident. The sentence covers the whole case, not the assault alone.
What the Records Cannot Show
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence or the plea terms. Cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation are not included.
The records also cannot show whether any change between 2017–2018 and 2019–2023 had a cause. They show only that the numbers differ.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 128 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Courts-martial tried at Okinawa, Japan that charged Article 128 (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2017–2018 (29) and 2019–2023 (36). Comparisons use every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 128 in 2019–2023.
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
- Okinawa, Japan: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 128 (Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Inside 70 Courts-Martial at Okinawa, Japan, 2017–2018 (the whole docket)
- Okinawa, Japan, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 100 Cases (the whole docket)
- Inside 50 Courts-Martial at Okinawa, Japan, 2024–2026 (the whole docket)
- Article 128 at Camp Pendleton, California Before and After 2019 (same offense, another installation)
- Did Assault Cases at Norfolk, Virginia Change After 2019? (same offense, another installation)
- Navy-Marine Corps Article 128 Cases by the Numbers, 2017–2025
- Article 128 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 128 Cases at Okinawa, Japan, 2019–2023
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.
Compare: federal court. Aggravated Assault: Federal Sentences vs. Article 128 Courts-Martial, 2016–2025
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.