What Okinawa, Japan Tried in 2019
Okinawa, Japan tried 25 courts-martial in 2019, The median confinement after a conviction was 1.8 years, compared with 6 months across the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Sexual assault under Article 120 was charged in 32% of cases, compared with 14% service-wide.
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Trends › By Installation › Okinawa, Japan › 2019
Short answer: Okinawa, Japan tried 25 courts-martial in 2019, The median confinement after a conviction was 1.8 years, compared with 6 months across the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. Sexual assault under Article 120 was charged in 32% of cases, compared with 14% service-wide.
Sexual Assault and Attempt Charges Were More Common
All 25 cases list their charges. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 8 cases (32%), compared with 14% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases in 2019. Article 80 (attempts) appeared in 5 (20%, compared with 10%). Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 4 (16%, compared with 8%).
Assault under Article 128 was the most common charge, in 40% of cases, compared with 34%. Drug charges under Article 112a were less common: 16% here, compared with 30% across the Navy and Marine Corps. Larceny under Article 121 appeared in 3 cases. Article 81 (conspiracy) and Article 107 (false official statements) appeared in 2 each. All 3 were about the same as the service rates. Each article counts once per case.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 40% | 34% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 8 | 32% | 14% |
| Art. 80 Attempts | 5 | 20% | 10% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 4 | 16% | 8% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 4 | 16% | 30% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 3 | 12% | 11% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 2 | 8% | 7% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 8% | 7% |
Longer Sentences Than the Service
Confinement was part of 90% of the 20 convictions. The median confinement was 1.8 years, compared with 6 months across all Navy and Marine Corps cases. A quarter of the sentences were 4.2 years or longer.
Most of the difference is in the longer sentences. Sentences of more than 1 year but under 5 years were 40% of convictions, compared with 19% service-wide. 3 convictions (15%) carried 5 years or more, compared with 5%. In total, 11 of 20 convictions (55%) carried more than one year, compared with 24%.
Short sentences were less common. Sentences under 6 months were 20% of convictions, compared with 35%. 2 convictions (10%) carried no confinement, compared with 18%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in a case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 2 | 10% | 18% |
| Under 6 months | 4 | 20% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 3 | 15% | 23% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 8 | 40% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 15% | 5% |
Results for the Most Common Charges
Assault charges ended in a conviction on Article 128 in 7 of 10 cases (70%). The median confinement after those convictions was 1.8 years. Article 120 charges ended in a conviction on that article in 5 of 8 cases. The median confinement after those convictions was 5 years.
These counts follow the charged article, not the whole case. A single case can include a conviction on one article and an acquittal on another. For that reason, the rows overlap and do not add up to whole cases.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 10 | 7 (70%) | 1.8 years |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 8 | 5 (5 of 8) | 5 years |
Punitive Discharges
Of 19 convicted enlisted members, 15 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge: 79%, compared with 60% across the Navy and Marine Corps. 8 of the 15 were dishonorable discharges. A dishonorable discharge is the more severe punitive discharge, and only a general court-martial can impose it.
The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not dismissed. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out an administrative separation.
General Courts-Martial and the Rank Mix
Of 25 cases, 18 were general courts-martial and 7 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share of 72% compares with 43% in all Navy and Marine Corps cases that year. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year. Only a general court-martial can impose a longer sentence.
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 50% of the accused, NCOs 45%, and officers 5%. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, junior enlisted members made up 57%.
Compared With 2018
The number of cases went from 40 in 2018 to 25 in 2019. Median confinement went from 2.5 years to 1.8 years. The share of convictions with confinement went from 85% to 90%. The punitive discharge rate for enlisted members was 79% in both years. General courts-martial went from 60% to 72% of cases.
In groups this small, a few cases can change any of these figures. They show direction, not precise size.
| 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 40 | 25 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 0 of 1 | 1 of 2 |
| Convictions with confinement | 85% | 90% |
| Median confinement | 2.5 years | 1.8 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 79% | 79% |
| General courts-martial | 60% | 72% |
Compared With Bremerton and Norfolk
Bremerton, Washington (47 cases) and Norfolk, Virginia (51 cases) tried a similar number of cases. Okinawa's median confinement of 1.8 years was higher than Bremerton's 3 months and Norfolk's 6 months. Okinawa's punitive discharge rate of 79% was higher than their 38% and 55%. Bremerton and Norfolk differed on pleas. At Bremerton, 11% of cases were contested, and 4 of 5 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal. At Norfolk, 43% were contested, and 9 of 21 ended in a full acquittal.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okinawa, Japan | 25 | 1 of 2 | 0 of 1 | 1.8 years | 79% |
| Bremerton, Washington | 47 | 11% | 4 of 5 | 3 months | 38% |
| Norfolk, Virginia | 51 | 43% | 9 of 21 | 6 months | 55% |
What the Records Cannot Show
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea. Only 2 of the 2019 records here list one, and 1 of those was contested. That case did not end in a full acquittal. With so few plea records, this page reports no contested share. The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not show the evidence, the plea terms, or cases handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Okinawa, Japan with a trial date in 2019 (25 cases).
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 Year (hub)
- Okinawa, Japan in 2018: 40 Courts-Martial, Year in Review (previous / next)
- What Okinawa, Japan Tried in 2020 (previous / next)
- Okinawa, Japan, 2019–2023: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 100 Cases (the whole period)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2015
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2017
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2018
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Bremerton, Washington: 2020
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
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.