Latest news with #OkinawaPrefecture
Japan Times
07-07-2025
- Japan Times
2 U.S. servicemen arrested in Okinawa for assault
Two U.S. servicemen were arrested in Okinawa Prefecture over the weekend for allegedly assaulting Japanese nationals. The Okinawa Prefectural Police on Saturday arrested Tomas Salazar, a 25-year-old airman who belongs to the U.S. Air Force's Kadena base in the prefecture, on suspicion of assaulting his girlfriend at a parking lot in the city of Okinawa. He allegedly pushed down the woman, who is in her 20s, and punched her in the face several times around 3:30 a.m. Saturday, causing an injury to her mouth. Salazar has denied the allegations, saying that he did not beat his girlfriend. Gabriel Monize, a 21-year-old private first class who belongs to the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Hansen in Okinawa Prefecture, was arrested Sunday on suspicion of slightly injuring an unacquainted 40-year-old Japanese man by putting his hands around the neck of the latter, who was in a car on a street in the city of Okinawa around 12:10 a.m. the same day. According to Okinawa police, the Japanese man was in his parked car when Monize suddenly entered the vehicle and assaulted him from behind. Monize has denied the allegations while refusing to take an alcohol test.
Japan Times
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
A senior officer of the U.S. Marine Corps on Thursday apologized to Okinawa Prefecture over a recent conviction of a Marine for sexually assaulting a woman in the prefecture. This marked the first direct apology from the U.S. military to the Okinawa Prefectural Government for a series of sexual crimes committed by U.S. servicemen in the prefecture since last year. "We apologize for the anxiety that this has caused the people of Okinawa, and our thoughts are with the victim in this case," Col. Neil Owens, chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, said at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha. Owens also explained efforts to prevent a recurrence, such as strict regulations on nighttime outings and drinking by members. "We cannot help but feel strong indignation because (the offenders) ignored women's human rights and dignity," Masahito Tamari, head of the Okinawa governor's office, said in response to the apology. He criticized the series of incidents involving U.S. servicemen, saying, "It's very regrettable that we have no choice but to have doubts about the enforcement of discipline and the education of officials." Last month, the Naha District Court sentenced Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, 22, to seven years in prison over nonconsensual sexual intercourse resulting in injury to the woman in May last year. Clayton has appealed to the Naha Branch of Fukuoka High Court.
CTV News
25-06-2025
- CTV News
Japanese court convicts a U.S. Marine in sexual assault, sentencing him to 7 years in prison
Judicial members including Judge Kazuhiko Obata, center back, for a sexual assault case of a U.S. Marine sit at the Naha District Court in Okinawa prefecture's Naha, southern Japan, Tuesday, July 24, 2025. (Japan Pool/Kyodo News via AP) TOKYO — A Japanese court has found a U.S. Marine guilty of sexually assaulting a woman on Okinawa and sentenced him to seven years in prison, 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 in the case on Tuesday. 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. '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 in a statement confirming Clayton's conviction emailed on Wednesday. Engelkemier said the U.S. side monitored the trial proceedings without interfering in the Japanese judicial process. 'We cooperated fully with the investigation process,' he said. The Marine has been in Japanese custody since his indictment that followed the allegation, he added. The case 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. ___ Reeno Hashimoto in Tokyo contributed to this report. Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press
Japan Times
24-06-2025
- Japan Times
U.S. Marine sentenced to seven years for sexual assault in Okinawa
Naha District Court on Tuesday sentenced a 22-year-old U.S. Marine to seven years in prison for nonconsensual sexual intercourse resulting in injury to a woman in Okinawa Prefecture in May last year. The sentence compares with prosecutors' request for a 10-year prison term for U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton. During his trial, Clayton asserted his innocence, claiming that he did not try to have sex or commit violence. According to the indictment, Clayton assaulted the woman for sexual purposes, putting his arms around her neck and choking her from behind. She suffered injuries that took about two weeks to heal. In a similar sexual assault case in Okinawa, a 26-year-old U.S. airman was sentenced to five years in prison last December. The defense has appealed the ruling.
Japan Times
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Japan Times
Okinawa marks 80th anniversary of Battle of Okinawa's end
Okinawa marked the 80th anniversary of the end of the Battle of Okinawa on Monday, one of the final land battles of World War II, with solemn reflections on the sacrifices made by the island's residents, promises to further reduce the burden of U.S. military bases in the prefecture and expressions of concern about the threat of nuclear war. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba spoke of the horrific ground war involving Okinawan residents, noting that 200,000 lives were lost, or about one in four Okinawans. He paid special tribute to Okinawan children who were killed in battle. 'Young men and women who should have had a hopeful future, such as the Himeyuri nursing corps and the Tekketsu Kinnou-tai (Blood and Iron Corps, which consisted of junior high school students), were driven to the battlefield and sacrificed their lives. Many fathers and mothers passed away amid the vortex of war, hoping for the safety of their children,' Ishiba said. The battle began on April 1, 1945 , after Allied Forces invaded Okinawa in what became World War II's largest and bloodiest conflict in the Pacific Theater. About 102,000 U.S. Army soldiers, 88,000 marines, and 18,000 navy personnel were joined by forces from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. 'It is an important responsibility for our nation to reflect on the deep wounds suffered by Okinawa, to look squarely at the foolishness and tragedy of war, and to do everything in our power to realize a peaceful and prosperous Okinawa,' Ishiba said. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki, in the prefecture's annual peace declaration, spoke of the desire to ensure the testimonies of the survivors would be heard by future generations. 'The reality and lessons of the Battle of Okinawa have been preserved through the stories of war survivors and validated by numerous studies. It is our mission, as those living in the present, to preserve and pass on the reality and lessons,' Tamaki said. The governor also touched on present and future concerns on the global stage when he spoke of Okinawa's support for the abolishment of nuclear weapons. Okinawa Gov. Denny Tamaki speaks at a ceremony in the Peace Memorial Park in Itoman, Okinawa Prefecture, on Monday. | JIJI 'Looking at the world today, the number of war conflicts worldwide is said to be the highest since World War II, and the security environment has become even more complex, with nuclear powers indicating the possibility of using nuclear weapons. Okinawa, with its history of hardship, values, and spirit of creativity, earnestly hopes for a peaceful world without conflict,' Tamaki said. The governor also touched on the presence of U.S. bases on the island. A total of 70.3% of Japanese land set aside for exclusive use by the U.S. military is concentrated in Okinawa Prefecture, a source of longstanding controversy between Okinawa and the central government. 'The people of Okinawa still bear a heavy burden from the concentration of U.S. military bases,' Ishiba said. The prime minister noted the efforts to reduce that burden have yielded some results, pointing to the opening of a new advanced medical research facility in March on a former U.S. military residential complex near the U.S. Marine Futenma Air Base that was returned to Japan. In addition, he said, the Okinawa business community announced plans last month for the economic redevelopment of land that will be returned by the U.S. to the prefecture. In recent years, Okinawa's economy has been helped by tourism, with over 9.9 million visitors in fiscal 2024, a more than 16% increase from the previous year. But the base issue remains a point of concern for many Okinawans. Futenma Air Base, which lies in Ginowan, in the central part of the main island of Okinawa, is due to be relocated to Henoko, in the northern part of the prefecture, once a replacement facility is completed. Construction continues, and no firm date for the facility's completion has been announced.
