Japanese court convicts a US Marine in sexual assault, sentencing him to
7 years in prison
[June 25, 2025]
By MARI YAMAGUCHI
TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese court has found a U.S. Marine guilty of sexually
assaulting a woman on Okinawa and sentenced him to seven years in
prison, in a case that has triggered anger and safety concerns on
Japan's southern island, which has a heavy American troop presence.
The Naha District Court said Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, 22, of Ohio, was
sentenced in the case on Tuesday.
Clayton was found guilty of attacking the woman in her 20s in the
Yomitan village on the main Okinawa island in May, 2024, chocking her
from behind, sexually assaulting her and causing her injuries.
In sentencing, Judge Kazuhiko Obata said the victim’s testimony,
provided remotely and anonymously, was highly credible even though the
defendant denied his charges brought by the prosecutors, who demanded 10
years in prison, according to Kyodo News.
“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,” Capt. Kazuma Engelkemier, spokesperson for 3rd Marine
Division, said in a statement confirming Clayton’s conviction emailed on
Wednesday.
Engelkemier said the U.S. side monitored the trial proceedings without
interfering in the Japanese judicial process. “We cooperated fully with
the investigation process,” he said.
The Marine has been in Japanese custody since his indictment that
followed the allegation, he added.
The case was one of a string of sexual assault cases last year in which
the arrests of the suspects were initially withheld by local authorities
on grounds of protecting the victims' privacy, triggering anger and
criticisms of coverups.
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Judicial members including Judge Kazuhiko Obata, center back, for a
sexual assault case of a U.S. Marine sit at the Naha District Court
in Okinawa prefecture's Naha, southern Japan, Tuesday, July 24,
2025. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP)
Okinawa, where one of the fiercest battles of World War II was
fought 80 years ago and under U.S. occupation until 1972, remains
home to the majority of about 50,000 U.S. troops stationed in Japan
under a bilateral security pact. The island, which accounts for only
0.6% of Japanese land, hosts 70% of U.S. military facilities.
Frustration runs high on Okinawa because of its continued burden
with the heavy U.S. presence that includes noise, pollution,
aircraft accidents and crime related to American troops.
Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, who attended Monday's 80th
anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa, raised concerns
about recent sexual assault cases involving U.S. service members
when he met with Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, the commander of III Marine
Expeditionary Force, requesting discipline and preventive measures.
There has been growing calls for a revision to the Status of Forces
Agreement that gives the United States the right to investigate most
accidents and crimes that occur on Japanese soil.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba 's Cabinet on Tuesday adopted
a statement showing that the Japanese prosecutors dropped criminal
cases against more than 300 U.S. service members in the last decade
between 2014 and 2024, including a sexual assault case in Okinawa in
2020.
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Reeno Hashimoto in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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