Okinawa, Japan, 2017–2018 vs. 2019–2023: A Side-by-Side Look
Okinawa, Japan had 100 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 70 in 2017–2018. Sentences were lighter in the later period: median confinement went from 2 years to 1 year, and punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 85% to 69%.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Okinawa, Japan › Before and after 2019
Short answer: Okinawa, Japan had 100 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 70 in 2017–2018. Sentences were lighter in the later period: median confinement went from 2 years to 1 year, and punitive discharges for convicted enlisted members went from 85% to 69%. The 2019–2023 sentences were still longer than across the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole, where the median confinement was 6 months.
The 2 Periods Compared
The earlier period, 2017–2018, had 70 Okinawa cases, about 35 a year. Since 2019 the rate has been about 20 a year: 25 cases in 2019, 23 in 2020, 18 in 2021, 18 in 2022, and 16 in 2023.
Median confinement went from 2 years to 1 year. Punitive discharges went from 85% to 69%. The general court-martial share went from 66% to 55%. Convictions with confinement went from 90% to 88%. Plea rates are not compared, because only 4 records from the earlier period list a plea. With groups this small, these changes show direction, not precise size. The records cannot show what caused them.
| 2017–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 70 | 100 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 0 of 4 | 27% |
| Convictions with confinement | 90% | 88% |
| Median confinement | 2 years | 1 year |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 85% | 69% |
| General courts-martial | 66% | 55% |
Sex Offense Charges Were More Common
Of the 100 records from 2019–2023, 95 list the charges. Article 120b (child sexual abuse) appeared in 18% of cases, compared with 7% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Article 120 (sexual assault) appeared in 22%, compared with 14%. Article 128 (assault) was the most common charge, in 38% of cases compared with 31%.
Drug and orders charges were less common. Article 112a (drug) appeared in 7% of cases, compared with 25% service-wide. Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 8%, compared with 18%. Each article counts once per case, so one case can count under several articles.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, Navy and Marine Corps-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 36 | 38% | 31% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 21 | 22% | 14% |
| Art. 134 General article | 20 | 21% | 18% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 17 | 18% | 7% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 15 | 16% | 9% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 9 | 9% | 8% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 9 | 9% | 9% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 8 | 8% | 18% |
Sentences for the Most Common Charges
Of 88 convictions, 77 carried confinement. The median confinement was 1 year, compared with 6 months in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. A quarter of the sentences were 2.3 years or longer.
39 of 88 convictions (44%) carried more than one year of confinement, compared with 24% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Sentences of more than 1 year and under 5 years were 35% of convictions, compared with 19%.
By charge, the median confinement after a conviction was 4 years for Article 120b, 2.3 years for Article 120, 2.2 years for Article 134, and 1.1 years for Article 128. 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, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 11 | 12% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 24 | 27% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 14 | 16% | 24% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 31 | 35% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 8 | 9% | 5% |
Results in Contested Cases
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. Of 13 contested cases that reached a verdict, 1 ended in a full acquittal (8%). In all Navy and Marine Corps cases in those years, the rate was 29%. Another 3 cases ended in a partial acquittal: not guilty of at least one charge and guilty of another.
Only 48 of the 100 records list a plea, because Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit it. Of those, 35 accused pleaded guilty and 13 contested. That is 27% contested, compared with 31% elsewhere.
Guilty pleas varied by charge. Cases charging Article 134 ended in a guilty plea 88% of the time (14 of 16). Cases charging Article 128 ended in a guilty plea 81% of the time (13 of 16). The records do not show why an accused pleaded guilty or contested the charges.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 36 | 33 (92%) | 1.1 years |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 21 | 17 (81%) | 2.3 years |
| Art. 134 General article | 20 | 20 (100%) | 2.2 years |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 17 | 17 (100%) | 4 years |
Punitive Discharges Higher Than the Service
Of 86 convicted enlisted members, 59 received a punitive discharge (69%). That is more often than across the Navy and Marine Corps (63%). 32 of the 59 were dishonorable discharges. 2 officers or warrant officers were convicted, and neither was dismissed.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Court Level and Rank
General courts-martial tried 55 of the 100 cases (55%), compared with 44% across the Navy and Marine Corps. In general courts-martial, 96% of convictions included confinement, with a median of 2 years. In the 45 special courts-martial, 78% did, with a median of 4 months. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Junior enlisted members made up 67% of the accused, NCOs 30%, and officers 2%. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, junior enlisted members made up 64%.
Compared With 2 Similar Installations
Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay (78 cases) and Jacksonville, Florida (77) tried a similar number of cases in 2019–2023. Okinawa's median confinement of 1 year was the longest of the 3, compared with 11 months at Kaneohe Bay and 4 months at Jacksonville. Okinawa's punitive discharge rate of 69% was also the highest, compared with 68% and 40%.
Jacksonville had the highest contested rate, 41%, and the most full acquittals, 16 of 31 contested cases that reached a verdict. Kaneohe Bay had 0 full acquittals in 11.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okinawa, Japan | 100 | 27% | 1 of 13 | 1 year | 69% |
| Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay | 78 | 26% | 0 of 11 | 11 months | 68% |
| Jacksonville, Florida | 77 | 41% | 16 of 31 | 4 months | 40% |
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 do not appear.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Okinawa, Japan in 2017–2018 (70) and 2019–2023 (100).
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)
- By Installation (hub)
- Okinawa, Japan, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 100 Cases
- Inside 70 Courts-Martial at Okinawa, Japan, 2017–2018
- Inside 50 Courts-Martial at Okinawa, Japan, 2024–2026
- Okinawa, Japan, 2019–2023 vs. 2024–2026: A Side-by-Side Look
- Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Bremerton, Washington Before and After 2024: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Great Lakes, Illinois Before and After 2019: How Its Courts-Martial Changed
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over 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.
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.