Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton trains at Rodriguez Live Fire Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, in March 2024. (Matthew Morales/U.S. Marine Corps)
A U.S. Marine convicted June 24 in Japanese court of strangling and attempting to sexually assault a woman on Okinawa has appealed the verdict.
Lance Cpl. Jamel Clayton, 22, of Ohio, filed his appeal on Monday, a Naha District Court spokesman said by phone Tuesday. The case will be forwarded to the Naha branch of Fukuoka High Court.
Clayton was sentenced to seven years in prison after a three-judge panel accompanied by six lay judges convicted him of nonconsensual sexual intercourse resulting in injury. He choked the woman, unbuttoned her pants and attempted to sexually assault her in the village of Yomitan on May 26, 2024, according to the indictment.
Clayton’s defense attorney Kotaro Ito could not be reached Tuesday. A spokeswoman with his office declined to comment on the case.
Some Japanese government officials may speak to the press only on the condition of anonymity.
Clayton was on Okinawa as a machine gunner with an unspecified unit attached to the 3rd Marine Division under the Unit Deployment Program, division spokesman Capt. Kazuma Engelkemier said by email June 2. He has been in Japanese custody since his indictment in June 2024.
Clayton’s case, and that of Senior Airman Brennon Washington, convicted in December of sexually assaulting a minor, has fueled public backlash and protests from Okinawa’s government. In response, the U.S. military imposed tighter liberty restrictions on troops in Japan.
Washington also has appealed his conviction, and his case is set to be reviewed in court July 30.
Under the Japanese legal system, a high court reviews the trial court proceedings and judgment to ensure compliance with procedural law and look for errors in the interpretation or application of law, excessive severity or leniency in the sentence or errors in fact-finding.
Usually, proceedings are restricted to oral arguments by attorneys and prosecutors and do not involve reexamination of witnesses or other evidence.
The court can either dismiss Clayton’s appeal, reverse the original judgment, reverse the judgment and remand it back to Naha District Court for a retrial, or render a new judgment. However, the new judgment cannot be stricter than the original.
In its verdict, the court gave credence to the woman’s testimony, citing photos of her injuries and text messages she sent to her friend as supporting evidence.
She testified June 3 in Naha District Court that Clayton followed her into a taxi from Gate 2 Street in Okinawa city to the home she shared with her boyfriend, a U.S. airman, in Yomitan village.
Clayton strangled her multiple times in the home’s entryway, causing her to lose consciousness, she testified. She said he tried to unzip her pants but stopped when she resisted, then masturbated behind her.
Clayton denied the charges against him. He testified June 5 that the woman invited him to share the taxi and into the home. He said they hugged before he left after she refused to share her contact information.
