US Marine arrested in Okinawa for injuring woman in attempted rape

A US Marine in his 20s from Okinawa prefecture was arrested in May on suspicion of injuring a woman while trying to rape her, investigators said, prompting strong opposition from local communities where anti-US base sentiment runs deep.

According to Kyodo NewsThe revelation of the incident comes days after it also emerged that a US Air Force serviceman in Japan’s southernmost prefecture was charged in March with allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in December.

Critics say Okinawa bears an excessive burden for hosting US bases. The island prefecture is home to most of the U.S. military installations in Japan, nearly 80 years after the country’s defeat in World War II. Okinawa was returned to Japan from American control half a century ago.

Crimes committed by U.S. service members and non-military personnel have been a constant source of complaints for locals.

The decision by local police not to reveal the two incidents involving US soldiers, citing the need to protect the privacy of the victims, has also angered local residents.

“Once again, a vile crime has come to light, causing great concern to the people of Okinawa. I cannot help but feel outraged,” Okinawan Governor Denny Tamaki told reporters on Friday, adding that rules on police information sharing should be reviewed.

According to the local prosecutor’s office, 21-year-old Marine Jamel Clayton was indicted on June 17 for allegedly strangling the victim, unbuttoning her pants and attempting to have sex with her in Yomitan on May 26, but failing to do so. The victim suffered injuries, including to her eyes, that required treatment for about two weeks.

Clayton fled after the incident, but prefectural police, who received a report, arrested him outside the base area that same day, according to investigation sources.

In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi called the incident “extremely regrettable.”

The government’s top spokesman said Deputy Foreign Minister Masataka Okano conveyed Japan’s dismay to U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel regarding the recent spate of sexual crimes allegedly committed by U.S. service members.

Okano urged Emanuel to take comprehensive measures to prevent a repeat of similar incidents, Hayashi, who was also the minister in charge of easing the burden of U.S. forces in Okinawa, told a regular news conference.

Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara also told a news conference: “It is extremely regrettable. It causes a lot of anxiety to local residents and should not have happened.”

In Okinawa, the rape of a 12-year-old schoolgirl by three US servicemen in 1995 sparked a wave of public outrage. Other cases include the rape and murder of a 20-year-old woman in 2016 by a former US base worker who was later sentenced to life in prison.