A US Marine, Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for strangling and sexually assaulting a woman in Okinawa, Japan. The Naha District Court convicted Clayton, 22, of the crime, which occurred in May 2024. Clayton pleaded not guilty and denied having sexual intent or using physical force against the woman.
Judge Kazuhiko Obata, who presided over the case, described the woman’s testimony as “highly credible” and containing “a level of specificity and authenticity that would not be possible without her actual experience.” The judge added that the woman “was attacked… she believed she would die. Her mental anguish was so great that she is still suffering from the effects of the attack.”
Prosecutors in the case called for Clayton to be jailed for 10 years, but the defense argued for acquittal, saying the woman’s testimony had many questions and was unreliable. The woman reported the incident to the police and a friend shortly after it happened.
The Marine Corps cooperated with Japanese authorities on the investigation and “monitored the trial proceedings” without interference, said 3rd Marine Division spokesman Capt. Kazuma Engelkemier. “This behavior does not reflect the values of the Marine Corps nor does it exemplify the standards the overwhelming majority of our Marines uphold daily,” Engelkemier added.
Clayton’s case is among several recent incidents to draw scrutiny from local Okinawans. In December, a 25-year-old US serviceman was sentenced to five years in prison for kidnapping and raping an underage girl. These incidents have triggered backlash against the US military’s presence in Okinawa, which hosts 32 US military facilities.
The incidents have sparked protests and demands for the US to move its bases outside of Okinawa. In 1995, three US servicemen raped a 12-year-old Okinawa school girl, triggering widespread outrage. In 2016, the rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman by a former US base worker in Okinawa led to mass protests and curfews for US personnel on the island.
The Japanese government and the US Forces Japan have announced the creation of a new forum to “enhance US-Japan cooperation” in Okinawa. The two countries have also agreed to update the “Okinawa Orientation Overview” for incoming US personnel and increase joint patrols outside of Okinawa.
A Pentagon report showed that the number of reported sexual assault cases in the US military dipped by nearly 4% last year, with 8,195 reported cases in 2024 compared to 8,515 the year before. Senior defense officials emphasized that while the decline is a positive sign, the number of sexual assault reports is still too high.