What Changed at Yokosuka, Japan After 2019? 96 Cases vs. 51
Yokosuka, Japan held 51 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 96 in 2013–2018. The median confinement was 6 months in the earlier period and 10 months in the later one, longer than the 6-month median across the Navy and Marine Corps.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 6 min read
Trends › By Installation › Yokosuka, Japan › Before and after 2019
Short answer: Yokosuka, Japan held 51 courts-martial in 2019–2023, compared with 96 in 2013–2018. The median confinement was 6 months in the earlier period and 10 months in the later one, longer than the 6-month median across the Navy and Marine Corps. 4 of 11 contested cases that reached a verdict ended in a full acquittal (36%), compared with 29% service-wide.
Fewer Cases, Longer Median Confinement
Yokosuka had about 16 courts-martial a year in 2013–2018 and about 10 a year in 2019–2023, counting full years only. The median confinement was 6 months in the earlier period and 10 months in the later one.
In the later period, 40 of the 47 convictions included confinement. A quarter of the sentences were 2.1 years or longer. 13 of 47 convictions (28%) had confinement longer than one year, compared with 24% in the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps. 32% had confinement from 6 months to 1 year, compared with 24%. 26% had confinement under 6 months, compared with 35%. These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal, and they cover every charge in the case.
| Adjudged confinement | Convictions | Share here | Share, the rest of the Navy and Marine Corps |
|---|---|---|---|
| No confinement | 7 | 15% | 17% |
| Under 6 months | 12 | 26% | 35% |
| 6 months to 1 year | 15 | 32% | 24% |
| More than 1 year, under 5 years | 10 | 21% | 19% |
| 5 years or more | 3 | 6% | 5% |
Contested Cases and Full Acquittals
A case is contested when the accused pleads not guilty to at least one charge. At Yokosuka, the contested share was 36% in 2013–2018 and 22% in 2019–2023. In the later period, 11 cases were contested and 40 ended in a guilty plea. The Navy and Marine Corps share in the later years was 31%.
11 contested cases reached a verdict. 4 ended in a full acquittal, and 1 ended in a partial acquittal, meaning not guilty of at least one charge or specification but guilty of another. The full-acquittal rate was 36%, higher than the 29% service-wide. In 2013–2018, 14 of 34 contested cases with a verdict ended in a full acquittal.
| 2013–2018 | 2019–2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 96 | 51 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 36% | 22% |
| Full acquittals (decided contested) | 14 of 34 | 4 of 11 |
| Convictions with confinement | 94% | 85% |
| Median confinement | 6 months | 10 months |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 65% | 57% |
| General courts-martial | 48% | 47% |
General and Special Courts-Martial
The 51 cases included 24 general courts-martial and 27 special courts-martial. The general court-martial share was 47%, about the same as the 48% in 2013–2018.
At general courts-martial, the median confinement was 2.5 years, and 33% of cases were contested. At special courts-martial, the median was 5 months, and 11% were contested. A special court-martial can adjudge no more than one year of confinement and no dishonorable discharge. A general court-martial can impose any lawful sentence.
Sexual Assault and False Statements Were Charged More Often
All 51 records list the charges. Rape and sexual assault (Article 120) appeared in 20% of Yokosuka cases, compared with 14% across the Navy and Marine Corps. False official statements (Article 107) appeared in 14%, compared with 8%. Conspiracy (Article 81) appeared in 12%, compared with 7%.
The general article (Article 134) was charged less often: 10% of cases, compared with 18%. Orders violations (Article 92) appeared in 12%, compared with 18%. Assault (Article 128) was the most common charge, in 35% of cases. 1 case can appear under several articles.
| UCMJ Article | Cases | Share here | Share, the whole Navy and Marine Corps docket |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 18 | 35% | 31% |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 15 | 29% | 25% |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 10 | 20% | 14% |
| Art. 107 False official statements | 7 | 14% | 8% |
| Art. 81 Conspiracy | 6 | 12% | 7% |
| Art. 92 Failure to obey order or regulation | 6 | 12% | 18% |
| Art. 134 General article | 5 | 10% | 18% |
| Art. 120c Other sexual misconduct | 4 | 8% | 4% |
Results on the Most Common Charges
All 15 cases charging Article 112a (drug offenses) ended in a conviction on that article, and all 15 were guilty pleas. The median confinement for those convictions was 8 months.
For Article 120, 2 of 10 cases ended in a guilty plea, and 6 of 10 ended in a conviction on that article. The median confinement for those convictions was 3.5 years. For Article 128, 14 of 18 cases ended in a conviction on that article, with a median of 6 months. The records do not say why an accused pleaded guilty or contested.
| Article | Cases charging it | Convicted of it (share) | Median confinement when convicted of it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art. 128 Assault | 18 | 14 (78%) | 6 months |
| Art. 112a Wrongful use, possession of controlled substances | 15 | 15 (100%) | 8 months |
| Art. 120 Rape and sexual assault | 10 | 6 (60%) | 3.5 years |
Punitive Discharges
26 of 46 convicted enlisted members received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge, and 13 of those were dishonorable. The rate was 57%, lower than the 63% across the Navy and Marine Corps and lower than the 65% at Yokosuka in 2013–2018. The 1 convicted officer or warrant officer was not sentenced to dismissal.
A sentence without a punitive discharge does not rule out a later administrative separation.
Rank and Case Counts
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 63% of the accused. NCOs were 35%, and officers were 2%. That is close to the 64% junior enlisted share in the rest of the service.
The yearly counts were 15 in 2019, 14 in 2020, 2 in 2021, 8 in 2022, and 12 in 2023. In small groups, a few cases can move a percentage, so the changes on this page show direction, not precision.
Twentynine Palms and Parris Island
Twentynine Palms, California held 47 cases and Parris Island, South Carolina held 44 in the same years. Both had a 30% contested share, higher than Yokosuka's 22%. At both, 0 of 6 contested cases with a verdict ended in a full acquittal.
Parris Island's median confinement was 11 months, and its punitive discharge rate was 82%. Twentynine Palms had 8 months and 54%.
| Installation | Cases | Contested | Full acquittals (decided contested) | Median confinement | Punitive discharge (enlisted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yokosuka, Japan | 51 | 22% | 4 of 11 | 10 months | 57% |
| Twentynine Palms, California | 47 | 30% | 0 of 6 | 8 months | 54% |
| Parris Island, South Carolina | 44 | 30% | 0 of 6 | 11 months | 82% |
What the Records Do Not Show
These records cover only cases tried by court-martial. Nonjudicial punishment, administrative separations, and cases closed with no action are not included. The records do not describe the evidence or the plea terms. Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea, so plea counts use only the records that list it.
Dates and sources for the law changes mentioned here: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Every court-martial tried at Yokosuka, Japan in 2013–2018 (96) and 2019–2023 (51).
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)
- By Installation (hub)
- Yokosuka, Japan, 2013–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 96 Cases
- Inside 51 Courts-Martial at Yokosuka, Japan, 2019–2023
- Yokosuka, Japan Courts-Martial, 2024–2026: What 21 Cases Show
- 45 Assault Courts-Martial at Yokosuka, Japan, 2013–2018: What the Records Show
- 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 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.
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.