Japan and Okinawa Court Martial Lawyer

The Land of the Rising Sun is home to one of the most fascinating and contradictory cultures on earth. For thousands of years, Japan has evolved and flourished; however, for much of that time this beautiful country was ruled by leaders who prohibited any interaction from the outside, particularly from the Western hemisphere. A strong Japanese word still often heard today displays this idea in Japanese culture: Daigen, foreigner. This slang word is applied to any person who is not of Japanese descent.

The military in Japan, particularly in Okinawa, is often treated like Daigen - putting more pressure on the senior military leaders in Japan and Okinawa to have a zero tolerance approach to crimes or violations of good order and discipline.  In this region, now more then ever, most allegations of misconduct are resulting in courts-martial charges or administrative separation boards.  In particular, we have seen a trend of increased prosecutions for sexual assault and "Spice" use.  As the former Senior Defense Counsel for the US Army Trial Defense Service, Pacific Rim, Mr. Bilecki was responsible for overseeing all military defense legal services in Korea, mainland Japan, and Okinawa.  During the two years he served in that position, Mr. Bilecki learned the nuances and challenges of defending service members facing courts-martial charges in mainland Japan and Okinawa.  Mr. Bilecki also uses the challenges of trying a case in Japan to his advantage.  Examples of this include leveraging the time, effort, and expense the government faces when trying to bring witnesses (who have often PCS'd) back to Japan to testify, the difficulty in bringing civilian witnesses to a foreign country to testify, the government's inability to compel Japanese nationals to testify at court-martial, and utilizing the media to embarrass or influence the command so that we are in a stronger bargaining position. 

Specializing in Defending Japan Court Martial Cases

At The Bilecki Law Group, we hand-select the cases we choose to represent and specialize in defending court martial charges in mainland Japan and Okinawa.  We know the area, have been there numerous times, understand the culture (military, high level politics and local issues) and have an unmatched record in Japan.  Mr. Bilecki has also strategically located The Bilecki Law Group in Honolulu, HI, so that we can quickly, easily and affordably get on the ground in mainland Japan and Okinawa to investigate your case and defend you against your court-martial charges.  Whether you have been charged with Sexual Assault, "Spice" violations or have a case involving Confessions, Violent Crimes, Desertion & AWOL, Non-Judicial Punishments, Sex Crimes, Child Pornography, High Profile Cases, Larceny & Financial Fraud or a violation of a Japan specific law, the Japan court martial defense lawyers at The Bilecki Law Group can provide you with the type of heavy hitting, aggressive representation you need to level the playing field. 

Resources in Japan

Japanese Law Blog
Japanese Culture/Customs Briefing
Information About Criminal Defense
Japanese Law System-Wikipedia

If you are a Service member who has been accused of a crime while serving or residing in Japan or Okinawa, contact us immediately to discuss all of your options and level the playing field.