1996 Padilla car crash

Coordinates: 26°17′44″N 127°45′40″E / 26.2956°N 127.7610°E / 26.2956; 127.7610
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The 1996 Padilla car crash was a notorious incident that occurred in

1995 Okinawan rape incident
.

Crash

US Military Facilities in Okinawa. Between 50 and 75 per-cent of the 47,000 US troops based in Japan live on the island of Okinawa in bases that take up one fifth of the island.[2]

At around 1 p.m. on Sunday, January 7, 1996, a car driven by Lori Padilla, a 20-year-old

Private First Class in the US Marines, were slightly injured and taken to a United States Navy hospital.[5]

Okinawa police stated that Padilla had abruptly changed lanes and lost control of her car because she was driving too fast. The US military was criticized for refusing requests by the Japanese authorities for access to Padilla or to administer a

car insurance, the Japanese Compulsory Insurance and an additional comprehensive insurance.[3][6]

Trial

Padilla was eventually given a two-year jail sentence by a Japanese court, and the Kinjo family sued Padilla and the co-owner of the car for ¥ 62 million (US$ 580,000 in 1996, US$ 1,126,773 in 2024) solatium or blood money.[3] The court ruled that the defendants should pay the money, but had already left Japan and Padilla had no money or insurance. The American government eventually paid 25 million yen and the Japanese government paid the difference.[3]

Aftermath

The Padilla crash was the second of three notorious events of

raped a 12-year-old Japanese girl in Okinawa, sparking significant outrage among the populace. Two years after the Padilla crash, the 1998 Eskridge car crash
occurred. In this case, a drunk US Marine struck a Japanese teenager who died a week later from her injuries.

See also

  • 1998 Eskridge car crash

References

  1. ^ "Car Driven by Marine Kills 3 on Okinawa". AP. January 8, 1996. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
  2. ^ "Okinawa death strains US-Japan relations". BBC News. October 15, 1998. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
  3. ^ .
  4. ^ Page 7 - DAVID ALLEN (January 7, 1996). "Marine's car jumps curb killing three in Okinawa" (PDF). Okinawan Women Act Against Military Violence. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
  5. ^ Page 7 - DAVID ALLEN (January 11, 1996). "Fatal Okinawin draw's Marine apology" (PDF). Okinawan Women Act Against Military Violence. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-14.
  6. ^ "The SACO Final Report". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan). December 2, 1996. Retrieved May 7, 2010.

26°17′44″N 127°45′40″E / 26.2956°N 127.7610°E / 26.2956; 127.7610