Japanese Forces

Hiroo Onoda

Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda is a a former Japanese army intelligence officer who fought in World War II, and did not surrender until 1974. Onoda was trained as an intelligence officer by the Nakano School, and on 26 December 1944 was sent to Lubang Island in the Philippines. after the americans landed in lubang island onoda and tree other soldiers fleed to the hills of the island, in 1950 one of his fellow soldiers Yuichi Akatsu surrended to the filipino army, onoda and fellow soldiers participated in many shootouts with the filipino police and civilians, Corporal Siochi Shimada was killed by a shot fired by a search party looking for the men, Kinshichi Kozuka was killed by two shots fired by local police on 19 October 1972 leaving Onoda alone, On 20 February 1974, Onoda met a Japanese college dropout, Norio Suzuki, who was traveling the world and was looking for "Lieutenant Onoda, a panda, and the Abominable Snowman, in that order". Onoda and Suzuki became friends, but Onoda still refused to surrender, saying that he was waiting for orders from a superior officer. the Japanese government located Onoda's commanding officer, Major Taniguchi, who had since become a bookseller. He flew to Lubang and on 9 March 1974 informed Onoda of the defeat of Japan in WWII and ordered him to lay down his arms. Lieutenant Onoda emerged from the jungle 29 years after the end of World War II, and accepted the commanding officer's order of surrender in his uniform and sword, with his Arisaka Type 99 rifle still in operating condition, 500 rounds of ammunition and several hand grenades, Though he had killed some thirty Philippine inhabitants of the island and engaged in several shootouts with the police, the circumstances of these events were taken into consideration, and Onoda received a pardon from President Ferdinand Marcos