Did Assault Cases at Yokosuka, Japan Change After 2019?
Yokosuka, Japan had 18 courts-martial charging Article 128 (assault) in 2019–2023, which was 35% of all courts-martial there. The contested share went from 55% in 2013–2018 to 28%, which was lower than the 40% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases.
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Short answer: Yokosuka, Japan had 18 courts-martial charging Article 128 (assault) in 2019–2023, which was 35% of all courts-martial there. The contested share went from 55% in 2013–2018 to 28%, which was lower than the 40% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases. The median confinement was 6 months in both periods, and a punitive discharge followed 57% of enlisted convictions in both.
Fewer Contested Cases Than Before 2019
Of the 18 accused, 13 pleaded guilty and 5 contested at least one charge. A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. The contested share was 28%. It was 55% at Yokosuka in 2013–2018 and 40% in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases in 2019–2023.
Of the 5 contested cases that reached a verdict, 4 ended in a full acquittal. In 2013–2018, 9 of 24 did. The records do not describe the evidence, so they cannot show why any case ended as it did.
Sentences Matched the Earlier Period
Confinement was part of 93% of the 14 convictions. The median confinement was 6 months, the same as at Yokosuka in 2013–2018 and the same as in all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases. Among the sentences that included confinement, a quarter were 3 years or longer.
Of 14 convicted enlisted members, 8 received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (57%), and 4 of those were dishonorable. The share was 57% in 2013–2018 as well, and 61% service-wide. A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Assault and Sexual Assault
Article 128 was the only charge in 8 of the 18 cases. Article 120 (sexual assault) was charged in 7. Article 120c (indecent recording and exposure), Article 86 (AWOL), Article 92 (orders violation), and Article 109 (property damage) were each charged in 1.
When assault is charged next to sexual assault, the assault count can describe part of the same incident. Each sentence covers every charge in the case.
Case Counts by Year
The 2013–2018 records show 45 cases over 6 years, about 8 a year. Since 2019 there have been about 4 a year, counting only years with cases: 7 in 2019, 4 in 2020, 0 in 2021, 1 in 2022, and 6 in 2023. These 18 cases were 35% of the 51 courts-martial at Yokosuka in 2019–2023.
General courts-martial went from 69% of cases to 61%. These groups are small, so the changes show a direction only.
| 2013–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 45 | 18 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 55% | 28% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 9 of 24 | 4 of 5 |
| Convictions with confinement | 94% | 93% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 6 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 57% | 57% |
| General courts-martial | 69% | 61% |
Rank and Court Level
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) made up 72% of the accused, NCOs 28%, and officers 0%. In all Navy and Marine Corps Article 128 cases, junior enlisted members were 63%.
General courts-martial heard 11 cases and special courts-martial heard 7. The general share, 61%, compares with 52% service-wide. A special court-martial caps confinement at one year and cannot impose a dishonorable discharge.
Limits of This Data
The records show charges, pleas, findings, and sentences. They do not show offense dates, the evidence, the plea terms, or conduct handled by nonjudicial punishment or administrative separation. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea.
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 Yokosuka, Japan that charged Article 128 (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2013–2018 (45) and 2019–2023 (18). 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
- Yokosuka, Japan: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 128 (Assault): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Yokosuka, Japan, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 96 Cases (the whole docket)
- Inside 51 Courts-Martial at Yokosuka, Japan, 2019–2023 (the whole docket)
- Yokosuka, Japan Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 21 Cases Show (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 Yokosuka, 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.