What Okinawa, Japan Tried in 2021
Okinawa, Japan held 18 courts-martial in 2021. The median confinement was 1.5 years, compared with 7 months across the Navy and Marine Corps. Assault under Article 128 was charged in 47% of cases with charges listed, compared with 32% service-wide.
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Trends › By Installation › Okinawa, Japan › 2021
Short answer: Okinawa, Japan held 18 courts-martial in 2021. The median confinement was 1.5 years, compared with 7 months across the Navy and Marine Corps. Assault under Article 128 was charged in 47% of cases with charges listed, compared with 32% service-wide.
Longer Confinement Than the Service Median
Of 17 convictions, 15 included confinement. The median confinement was 1.5 years, longer than the 7 months for the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole. A quarter of the sentences with confinement were 2.2 years or longer.
These are adjudged sentences, set at trial before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Assault and Child Sexual Abuse Charges
Charges are listed for 17 of the 18 cases. Article 128 (assault) appeared in 8 of them (47%). Article 120b (rape and sexual assault of a child) appeared in 4 cases (24%), compared with 8% across the service.
Article 134 also appeared in 4 cases (24%), about the same as the 26% service-wide. Article 120 (rape and sexual assault) appeared in 3 cases (18%). Articles 109, 107, 131b, and 121 each appeared in 2 cases (12%). A case can appear under several articles.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the Navy and Marine Corps as a whole |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 8 | 47% | 32% |
| Art. 120b Rape and sexual assault of a child | 4 | 24% | 8% |
| Art. 134 General article | 4 | 24% | 26% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 3 | 18% | 19% |
| Art. 109 Property other than military; waste, spoilage, destruction | 2 | 12% | 2% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 2 | 12% | 10% |
| Art. 131b Obstructing justice | 2 | 12% | 7% |
| Art. 121 Larceny | 2 | 12% | 9% |
Dishonorable Discharges Outnumbered Bad-Conduct Discharges
Of 17 convicted enlisted members, 10 received a punitive discharge: 7 dishonorable and 3 bad-conduct. That share, 59%, was lower than the 64% for the whole Navy and Marine Corps. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Pleas and Verdicts
The plea is listed in 16 of 18 records. 12 accused pleaded guilty and 4 contested at least one charge, a contested share of 25%. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, the contested share was 32%. None of the 4 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (0 of 4).
Compared With 2020
Okinawa tried 23 cases in 2020 and 18 in 2021. The median confinement went from 4 months to 1.5 years. Convictions with confinement went from 86% to 88%, and punitive discharges for enlisted members went from 62% to 59%. General courts-martial were 39% of cases in both years. A few cases can move these figures, so they show direction, not precise size.
| 2020 | 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 23 | 18 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | — | 25% |
| Convictions with confinement | 86% | 88% |
| Median confinement | 4 months | 1.5 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 62% | 59% |
| General courts-martial | 39% | 39% |
Rank and Court Level
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 76% of the accused and NCOs 24%. No officers were tried. Across the Navy and Marine Corps, junior enlisted members were 69%.
There were 7 general and 11 special courts-martial. The general share of 39% was lower than the 48% service-wide. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Kaneohe Bay and Mayport in 2021
Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay tried 22 cases, with a median confinement of 6 months and punitive discharges for 65% of convicted enlisted members. Mayport, Florida tried 24 cases, with the same median as Okinawa, 1.5 years, and punitive discharges for 67%. Mayport's contested share was 42%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Okinawa, Japan | 18 | 25% | 0 of 4 | 1.5 years | 59% |
| Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay | 22 | 22% | 0 of 4 | 6 months | 65% |
| Mayport, Florida | 24 | 42% | 2 of 10 | 1.5 years | 67% |
Outside the Records
The records give trial dates, not offense dates. They do not describe the evidence or the plea terms, and they leave out nonjudicial punishment and administrative separations.
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 2021 (18 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)
- What Okinawa, Japan Tried in 2020 (previous / next)
- A Year of Courts-Martial at Okinawa, Japan: 2023 (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)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Cases at Okinawa, Japan, 2021
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.