A U.S. Marine was convicted Tuesday of sexual assault and sentenced to seven years in a Japanese prison.
Lance Cpl. James Clayton, 22, had been stationed in Okinawa, the southern Japanese archipelago that’s home to a massive American military presence.
Clayton was found guilty of attacking the victim, identified only as a woman in her 20s, at her home in Yomitan in May 2024. Investigators said he grabbed the woman from behind, choked her and unbuttoned her pants in an attempt to rape her, Kyodo News reported.
The woman began bleeding from her eyes during the assault, police said. An expert witness said the injuries matched her testimony in court.
“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 Wednesday in a statement.
The U.S. military presence throughout Okinawa is widely disliked on the islands. American troops have been accused of hundreds of sexual assaults in the region, including several highly publicized cases dating back to the rape of a 12-year-old girl in 1995.
In December 2024, U.S. Air Force member Brennon Washington was sentenced to five years in Japanese prison for kidnapping and raping an underage girl.
With News Wire Services
