US Marine arrested in Okinawa for woman injured in attempted rape

A U.S. Marine in his 20s was arrested in Okinawa Prefecture in May on suspicion of injuring a woman in an attempted rape, investigative sources said Friday, while local police withheld the information.

This revelation came just days after a US Air Force soldier was indicted in Japan’s southernmost island prefecture in March on charges of kidnapping and sexually abusing a girl under the age of 16 in December, further fuelling anti-American sentiment in the region.

Critics say Okinawa bears an undue burden because it hosts U.S. bases. The prefecture is home to most of the U.S. military bases in Japan, nearly 80 years after the country’s defeat in World War II. Okinawa was returned to Japan from U.S. control half a century ago.

According to the local prosecutor’s office, Jamel Clayton, 21, was charged on June 17 with attempting to sexually assault a woman in the prefecture on May 26 and injuring her when she resisted. He fled but was arrested outside the base compound the same day by prefectural police, who had received a report, according to investigative sources.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi holds a press conference in Tokyo on June 28, 2024. (Kyodo)

In Tokyo, Japanese Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi confirmed on Friday that charges had been brought against the man. However, the top government spokesman declined to comment, citing ongoing legal proceedings.

Hayashi called the incident “extremely regrettable” and said Japan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Masataka Okano had conveyed his regret to U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel over the recent series of sex crimes suspected to have been committed by U.S. soldiers.

Okano urged Emanuel to take thorough measures to prevent a recurrence of similar incidents, Hayashi, who also served as minister in charge of easing the burden on U.S. forces in Okinawa, said at a regular news conference.

Crimes committed by US soldiers and civilian personnel are a constant source of complaint for locals.

The rape of a 12-year-old schoolgirl from Okinawa by three US soldiers 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 employee who was later sentenced to life imprisonment.

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