US marine jailed for seven years for sexual assault in Japan amid anger over crimes by US personnel
A court on the Japanese island of Okinawa has sentenced a US marine to seven years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman last year.
The sentencing on Tuesday concluded that the victim's testimony demonstrated a "high level of credibility", the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.
Marine Lance Corporal Jamel Clayton, 22, was accused of injuring a woman in her 20s by choking her while attempting to rape her.
He pleaded not guilty in the case and denied having any sexual intent or using physical force against her.
In handing down the ruling, Naha District Court's Presiding Judge Kazuhiko Obata described the victim's account as "precise and authentic," while noting that she reported the incident to both the police and a friend shortly afterward.
"The woman was attacked suddenly. She foresaw her own death which caused her tremendous mental anguish. She is still suffering from the effects," NHK quoted the judge as saying.
The judge also said blood spots found in her eyes after the assault matched a forensic scientist's assessment that such symptoms appear only when the neck is compressed continuously for at least one to two minutes.
According to the ruling, Clayton choked the woman from behind in Yomitan, Okinawa, on the morning of May 26 last year and attempted to have sexual intercourse with her by unbuttoning her pants.
She sustained injuries to both eyes that required about two weeks of treatment.
Prosecutors had demanded 10 years in prison. Clayton's lawyer said the defendant is considering appealing the ruling.
The US has around 50,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on the southern island of Okinawa.
Their strategic role is seen as increasingly important for the Japan-US military alliance in the face of growing tensions with China.
But anti-base sentiment runs deep due to aircraft noise, pollution and crimes committed by American service members.
In June last year, a 21-year-old US marine was charged with rape.
This was just three months after Okinawa prosecutors had charged a 25-year-old US soldier for allegedly assaulting a girl under 16.
Okinawa's governor, Denny Tamaki, opposes the heavy US troop presence, and has expressed anger about alleged crime related to US military bases.
Following the two sexual assault cases last year, Mr Tamaki said he was "speechless and outraged".
He stressed the need to "reconstruct" the communication system in case of crime and accidents involving US service members.
The cases act as a reminder to many Okinawans of the high-profile 1995 rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US soldiers, which sparked massive protests against the heavy US troop presence on the island.
It led to calls for a rethink of the 1960 pact allowing the US to station soldiers in Japan.
Rules about how to treat crimes committed by US military personnel are stipulated in the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said when he took office in October that he wanted to review the rules.
In April, US soldiers were joined by Japanese officials and residents in Okinawa for a one-off joint night-time patrol.
It was the first such joint operation since 1973, where participants walked along streets lined with restaurants, bars and music clubs in the vicinity of a US air base.
The joint patrol was to reflect a "continued commitment to partnership, accountability and mutual respect", the US Department of Defense said in a statement.
The US military is transferring some of the troops from Okinawa to the Pacific territory of Guam, a process that began last year.
ABC/wires
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