Latest news with #IIIMarineExpeditionaryForce
NBC News
9 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Japanese court convicts a U.S. Marine in sexual assault, sentencing him to 7 years in prison
TOKYO — A Japanese court said Wednesday it had found a U.S. Marine guilty of sexually assaulting a woman on Okinawa, sentencing him to prison terms, 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 Tuesday to seven years in prison in the case. Clayton was found guilty of attacking the woman in her 20s in the village of Yomitan 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 the charges brought by the prosecutors, who demanded 10 years in prison, according to Kyodo News. It 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 accusations of cover-ups. Okinawa, where one of the fiercest battles of World War II was fought 80 years ago and which was 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 have 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 Japanese prosecutors had dropped criminal cases against more than 300 U.S. service members in the decade from 2014 to 2024, including a sexual assault case in Okinawa in 2020.
11 hours ago
- Politics
Japanese court convicts US Marine in sexual assault, sentencing him to 7 years
TOKYO -- A Japanese court said Wednesday it has found a U.S. Marine guilty of sexually assaulting a woman on Okinawa, sentencing him to prison terms, 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 Tuesday to seven years in prison in the case. 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. It 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. 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.
Japan Times
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Japan, U.S. patrol Okinawa streets after sexual assaults
U.S. soldiers joined Japanese officials and residents in Okinawa for a one-off joint nighttime patrol Friday following sexual assault cases involving American servicemen. The United States has around 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on the southern island of Okinawa, and their behaviour has long angered locals. A 21-year-old U.S. Marine was charged with rape in June last year, three months after Okinawa prosecutors had charged a 25-year-old U.S. soldier for allegedly assaulting a girl under 16. In the first such joint operation since 1973, participants walked along a downtown street dotted with restaurants, bars and music clubs in the vicinity of a U.S. airbase on Friday night. The U.S. military, which proposed the patrol, said in a statement it reflects "our continued commitment to partnership, accountability and mutual respect." It will contribute "to the safety and trust that are essential to the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance", said Lt. Gen. Roger Turner, commanding general of the III Marine Expeditionary Force and Okinawa Area Coordinator. The patrol continued until the early hours of the following morning. Rules about how to treat crimes committed by U.S. military personnel are stipulated in the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said when he took office in October that he wanted to review the rules. The 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. soldiers in Okinawa prompted a major backlash — with calls for a rethink of the 1960 pact allowing the United States to station soldiers in Japan. The joint patrol also comes as Tokyo and Washington continue efforts to strengthen their alliance, partly in response to China's military build-up.
Japan Times
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Japan, U.S. to hold joint patrol after Okinawa sexual assaults
Japanese and U.S. officials said Friday they will jointly conduct a patrol in Okinawa Prefecture following sexual assault cases involving U.S. servicemen. The United States has around 54,000 military personnel in Japan, mostly in Okinawa Prefecture, and their behavior has long angered locals. The one-off joint operation through busy areas until the early hours of the next day was proposed by the U.S. side. "The joint patrol will be held on the night of April 18, and it is perhaps the first such joint event since 1973," an official in Okinawa Prefecture said. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki may participate, the official added. The patrol reflects "our continued commitment to partnership, accountability, and mutual respect", said Roger Turner, commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and Okinawa Area Coordinator. "By working side-by-side with our Japanese counterparts, we are reinforcing shared standards and contributing to the safety and trust that are essential to the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance," he said in a statement. Rules about how to treat crimes committed by U.S. military personnel are stipulated in the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said when he took office in October that he wanted to review them. The 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old girl by three U.S. soldiers in Okinawa prompted a major backlash, with calls for a rethink of the 1960 pact allowing the United States to station soldiers in Japan. In March last year, prosecutors in Okinawa charged a 25-year-old U.S. soldier for alleged assaulting a girl under 16 years old, according to local media and the top government spokesman. And days after that case emerged in June, another came to light in which a 21-year-old U.S. Marine Corps member had been charged with rape. The joint patrol also comes as Tokyo and Washington continue efforts to strengthen their alliance partly in response to China's military buildup.
Al Arabiya
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Japan, US to hold joint patrol after sexual assault cases involving US servicemen
Japanese and US officials said Friday they will jointly conduct a patrol in Okinawa following sexual assault cases involving US servicemen. The United States has around 54,000 military personnel in Japan, mostly in Okinawa in the south, and their behavior has long angered locals. The one-off joint operation through busy areas until the early hours of the next day was proposed by the US side. 'The joint patrol will be held on the night of April 18, and it is perhaps the first such joint event since 1973,' an official in Okinawa prefecture told AFP. Okinawa governor Denny Tamaki may participate, the official added. The patrol reflects 'our continued commitment to partnership, accountability, and mutual respect', said Roger Turner, commanding general of III Marine Expeditionary Force and Okinawa Area Coordinator. 'By working side-by-side with our Japanese counterparts, we are reinforcing shared standards and contributing to the safety and trust that are essential to the strength of the US-Japan alliance,' he said in a statement. 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 them. The 1995 gang rape of a 12-year-old girl by three US soldiers in Okinawa prompted a major backlash, with calls for a rethink of the 1960 pact allowing the United States to station soldiers in Japan. In March last year, prosecutors in Okinawa charged a 25-year-old US soldier for alleged assaulting a girl under 16 years old, according to local media and the top government spokesman. And days after that case emerged in June, another came to light that a 21-year-old US Marine Corps member had been charged with rape. The joint patrol also comes as Tokyo and Washington continue efforts to strengthen their alliance partly in response to China's military build-up.
