US Marine arrested in Okinawa for injuring woman during attempted rape

A US Marine in his 20s in Okinawa Prefecture was arrested in May on suspicion of injuring a woman while attempting to rape her, investigative sources said Friday, while local police concealed the information.

The revelation comes days after it was also revealed that a US Air Force serviceman in the prefecture on Japan's southernmost island was indicted in March for allegedly kidnapping and sexually assaulting a young girl under 16s in December, further intensifying anti-American sentiment in the region.

Critics say Okinawa is carrying an unreasonable burden by hosting U.S. bases. The prefecture is home to the majority of U.S. military installations in Japan, nearly 80 years after the country's defeat in World War II. Okinawa was returned to Japan by the United States half a century ago.

According to local prosecutors, Jamel Clayton, 21, was charged on June 17 with attempting to sexually assault a woman and injuring her while she resisted in the prefecture on May 26. He fled, but prefectural police, who received a report, arrested him outside the base the same day, the investigation sources said.

In Tokyo, Japan's chief cabinet secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, acknowledged Friday that the man had been charged, but the government's top spokesman declined to give further details, citing ongoing legal proceedings.

Describing the incident as “extremely regrettable,” Hayashi said Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Masataka Okano had conveyed his regrets to U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel over the recent spate of crimes sexual assault allegedly committed by American soldiers.

Okano urged Emanuel to take thorough measures to prevent a repeat 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 U.S. military and non-military personnel are a constant source of grievance for the local population.

The rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan schoolgirl by three American 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 employee of a US base who was later sentenced to life in prison.

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