A Japanese court on Thursday ordered two U.S. Marines to pay 26.42 million yen ($239,000) in total damages to the family of a deceased taxi driver in Okinawa Prefecture for not paying compensation due over an assault during a cab incident in 2008.

The figure determined by the Naha District Court almost matches the 27 million yen sought by the family members of Munekazu Ura. The U.S. Marines did not appear in court to defend themselves.

(Naha District Court)

According to the complaint, the two Marines -- who were stationed at U.S. Marine Corps Futenma Air Station in the city of Ginowan -- beat Ura on the head with a liquor bottle, and fled without paying their taxi fare of 2,780 yen in January 2008.

The two received prison sentences for the assault from the same court. They were charged with robbery resulting in injury over the beating of the taxi driver and fleeing without paying the taxi fare.

Ura later suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and quit his job. He died of cancer in 2012 at age 63.

According to the Japan-U.S. Status of Forces Agreement, the U.S. government pays compensation on behalf of U.S. military personnel if they have caused an accident or an incident while off duty and are unable to pay compensation.

The remaining amount that needs to be paid will be shouldered by the Japanese government.

Ura and his family sent invoices to the U.S. authorities via the Japanese Defense Ministry's Okinawa Defense Bureau five times between 2009 and 2014, asking for compensation of 22.5 million yen.

In November 2017, the U.S. side offered an out-of-court settlement saying it would pay around 1.46 million yen but the family rejected it.

(Muneyuki Ura holding a photo of his deceased father Munekazu)