A member of the US Marines has been sentenced to 20 months imprisonment in respect of sexual misconduct against a Japanese woman, according to a statement issued by the US military on May 20th.

US Military in Japan

The incident was one of a string of cases involving members of the US military in Japanese territory that have acted to enrage Japan’s civilian population.

The US Marine featuring in today’s statement was Gunnery Sergeant Jarvis Raynor who, it added, would be discharged from military service.

Hiroshima Rape Claims

Raynor was one of four Marines who, it is claimed, simultaneously raped a woman in Hiroshima last year.

His sentencing came after that of another of the quartet who, earlier in May, was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment and also discharged.

Prosecutors in Japan let the case go, citing insufficient evidence against the men. Back in the US, however, the decision was taken to court-martial them.

Violation of Military Orders

Raynor himself was found guilty of a number of offences including violation of military orders and engagement in acts of indecency.

The 40,000-strong US military presence in Japan is associated with a post-World War Two treaty, under which terms Washington is bound to protect it.

Around 50 per cent of the US troop force is stationed on the Japanese island of Okinawa

Staff Sergeant Hadnott

Earlier this month, US Marine Staff Sergeant Tyrone Hadnott was given a three year jail sentence, on the basis of him having sexually abused a 14-year-old girl on Okinawa.

Source – Armed Forces International’s US Correspondent

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