Hiroo Onoda's War

In 1944 the Japanese military sent Intelligence Officer 2nd Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, then aged 22 to Lubang in the Philippines  with orders to spy on U.S. forces and teach guerrilla tactics to new soldiers.

When  U.S. troops invaded the island at the end of the year  all of the Japanese soldiers were either killed or captured. Hiroo Onoda defiantly decided to take to the mountains with three other soldiers.  They stayed on the move, living of the land and constantly hiding and evading capture.

World War Two ended when Japan surrendered on the 2nd of September 1945 ( VJ-Day  Victory over Japan ) Japanese General Okamura Yasiyi signed the instruments of surrender to General Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Chester Nimitz on the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Hiroo refused to believe Japan had surrendered, even when leaflets were dropped explaining the whole new situation.  He merely though that it was enemy propaganda and a trick to get him to come out. When his brother and sister tried to communicate with him he believed this also to be a trick conjured up by the enemy.  He retreated deep into the jungle, and there he survived for 30 years.

Over those 30 years he killed many of Lubangs inhabitants when he came across them. He raided villages, stole food and sabotaged vehicles, he in effect was carrying on with the war  as he thought it was still in progress.

" There are no rules in war and survival" later stated Onoda.

He spent the last 16 months alone in the jungle after the other two men he was with were killed in a shoot out with police when they came to physically extract them. Hiroo of course believed the police were actually Americans in another sort of trick.

It wasn't until 1974 that  Hiroo Onoda of the Imperial Japanese Army was finally convinced that the war was over and that he should surrender his weapons when he received formal orders from his former commanding army officer.   He traveled to Lubang to meet with him after being told of Onoda's whereabouts by a Japanese back packer  who met Onoda whilst on expedition Lubang.

Hiroo (at the back) shows the Japanese back packer his sword shortly before surrendering.

Hiroo Onoda when he surrendered in 1974

Hiroo Onoda came out of hiding and surrendered on March 10, 1974, with his .25 caliber rifle in excellent condition and full working order, over 500 rounds of ammunition and several hand grenades, 15 years after he had been officially declared dead, Hiroo Onoda presented his sword to Ferdinand Marcos, then president of the Philippines.

When it had finally sunk in that the war really was over and that Japan had lost he wept openly and wished that he had died in the jungle.  30 years of defending Japans honour was for nothing

He returned to Japan but was unable to adjust to modern life and found the new cities and sky scrapers with all the neon lights and bars and disco's totally confusing so he went  to live in Brazil. He revisited the Island in 1996.

Hiroo Onoda's book, "No Surrender - My Thirty-Year War" is apparently a fascinating read.

 Mr Hiroo Onoda is still alive today, at time of writing.

Shoichi Yokio's Story

Shoichi Yokio stayed in the deep jungles of Guam up until 1972. He  believed that WWII was still continuing and had no illusions that it was otherwise.

Shoichi was conscripted into the Japanese Imperial army in 1941 and served in Guam during the War.  Most of the 22,000 Japanese soldiers on the island were killed by  US troops in 1944. The Japanese Bushido code of never Surrender was played to the last man.

 Shoichi went into hiding when he escaped from the US invasion.

Shoichi Yokios home for 28 years...a small cave hole in the rocks ! 

Yokio stayed in the Jungle for 28 years until he was discovered by two Guamese hunters.  He was wearing a pair of burlap pants and a shirt which he said he had made from the bark of a tree. It was explained to him about the end of the war 28 years ago and even though it was hard for him to believe, he accepted it as he had never seen another Japanese soldier in all that time

He was repatriated to Japan a month later, where he started life over in a country and a world he hardly knew, he was dumbfounded and bewildered by the changes that had occurred since he left 28 years ago.

Yokio became a national hero on his return to Japan in 1972 for his dramatic tale of survival and his adherence to the former Imperial Japanese Army's code of never surrender.

His first words upon arriving in Tokyo  "It is with much embarrassment that I return"  were broadcast nationally and  became a popular saying.

Yokoi's exploits in the jungle fascinated the Japanese nation. They were intrigued how he survived on a diet of nuts, berries, frogs, snails and rats, and how he made materials from tree bark.

He became a  commentator on television programs, where he discussed survival skills. He wrote a best-selling book on his experience in Guam.

In 1974 he ran for a seat in Japan's upper house of parliament but was  unsuccessful.

82 year old Yokoi

Shoichi Yokio  died in 1997of a heart attack at the age of 82. R.I.P

Strange little facts about when WWII actually started as everyone always thinks that it started on the 3rd of September 1939.....

To Britain, France and Canada, World War Two did indeed start on the 3rd September 1939, after Germany attacked Poland and started occupation.

*It must be noted that Canada at that time was not independently liable to declare war on its own, as it was part of the British Commonwealth, therefore any actions were on behalf of Great Britain.

To the rest of the World however....

.....To the Americans, WWII started on 7th December, 1941, when Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, before then they were neutral.

*To Poland, WWII started on 1st September 1939, as Great Britain and France actually delayed their 'pact-guaranteed' war declaration until 3rd September.

To Czechoslovakia WWII started in March 1939, when they were attacked by Germany.

To the Ethiopians, WWII started in 1936, when they were attacked by Italy

To the Chinese WWII started back in 1931, when Japan occupied Manchuria. 

And for the Russians WWII didn't start until June 1941 when Germany invaded them. Code named: Operation Barbarossa. Russia was actually seen as an Ally before this !

*Special thanks to Marek Aureliusz for clarification with this page.