US marine jailed for seven years for sexual assault in Japan

A court in Japan has sentenced a US marine to seven years in prison after finding him guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in Okinawa last year.

Lance Cpl Jamel Clayton, 22, attacked the woman in her 20s, choking her from behind and attempting sexual intercourse, the court ruled.

The case is one of a string involving US servicemen based in the Okinawa archipelago, where more than half of the 54,000 US soldiers serving in Japan are based.

Previous crimes committed by American personnel have sparked anger and protests by locals in Okinawa, the largest of which took place 30 years ago, when tens of thousands took to the street following the rape of a 12-year-old girl.

In the last year alone, there have been four sexual assault cases involving US service members in Okinawa, including air force member Brennon Washington, who was given five years for the rape and kidnapping of an underage girl by a court in December 2024.

Prosecutors in Tuesday’s case had asked for 10 years for Clayton, according to Stars and Stripes, which covers US military news.

Clayton had denied all the charges against him. His defence had pointed to the young woman’s “intoxication” and inconsistencies in her story during the trial earlier in June.

But judges at Naha District Court gave Clayton, of Ohio, seven years in prison after finding the victim’s testimonies had “a high-level of credibility throughout”, Kyodo news agency reported.

During sentencing, Judge Kazuhiko Obata described the attack as “vicious”, with the woman being choked for one to two minutes, Stars and Stripes said.

According to Kyodo, the woman sustained injuries to her eyes which took two weeks to heal.

Local opposition to the US bases goes beyond just the criminal cases, extending to aircraft noise and pollution.

There have been previous efforts to move the US bases to less populated parts of Okinawa, but many locals want them removed altogether.

Experts, however, say Japan’s military alliance with the US is too strong for that to happen. And they say Tokyo needs Washington given the challenges it faces, be it China’s growing claims over disputed waters and islands, or North Korea’s missile tests.