1998 Eskridge car crash

Randall Eskridge, a member of the United States Marine Corps, was drunk driving when he struck Yuki Uema, an 18-year-old Okinawan student.

Uema's death caused an uproar in Okinawa due to the raw emotion after the 1995 Okinawan rape incident, the fact the Marines refused to hand over Eskridge, and continued opposition to the U.S. military presence in Japan.

[4] The refusal sparked outrage and protests among Okinawa's populace, but Eskridge was finally handed over to the local police a week after the incident.

Around this time, Uema died from a brain contusion caused by complications from her injuries sustained in the incident, after having spent the week in a coma.

During Eskridge's trial, the prosecution said that he had committed a "malicious crime due to his low regard for human life," seriously injuring Yuki Uema while driving under the influence of alcohol.