One man’s war

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On August 14, 1945, Japan surrendered, bringing World War II to an end. Two weeks earlier an atomic bomb had been exploded over Hiroshima, destroying three-quarters of the city and killing nearly 80 000 people. Four days later, on August 10, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.

The war had been long and costly and soldiers of all nations just wanted to return home and be with their families.

Yet all over the Pacific, on tiny remote islands, pockets of Japanese soldiers fought on, unaware that the war had ended.

One of these soldiers was 23 yea old second lieutenant Hiroo Onoda. In 1944 he had been sent to Lubang Island, about 130 km south of the Philippines capital of Manila.

His orders were to carry out guerrilla warfare and conduct intelligence duties. He was told to carry on fighting even if his unit was destroyed. And young Lt Onoda did just that. He carried on fighting World War II for the next 29 years.

After the war’s end, leaflets were dropped by plane announcing Japan’s surrender. They were signed by Onoda’s chief of staff. The lieutenant picked up several of them, but dismissed them as American propaganda.

Over the years the world changed drastically. The Iron Curtain split Europe in two. Man walked on the moon. Japan once again grew prosperous, now a staunch ally of its former enemy, the United States.

But Onoda continued with his lonely war, carefully conserving his dwindling ammunition. He lived on bananas and coconuts, with the occasional snared jungle birds or stolen cow as a welcome luxury.

During his first few years in the jungle, Onoda was in touch with other isolated Japanese guerrillas. But, one by one, his comrades ‘surrendered’ or died, some of them by committing suicide. Finally, he was alone - one man surrounded by illusory enemies whom he attempted to shoot on sight.

He kept switching hideouts to avoid detection, sniping at islanders, stealing cattle, burning crops. Police and search parties sent from Japan to try to make him surrender were met with bullets.

Onoda made sandals from woven straw and bits of old tyres held together with string and wooden pegs. When his clothes rotted, he patched them with tent canvas, using a piece of wire as a needle and plant fibre as thread. He built shelters of branches, bamboo, vines and leaves, but never dared stay for too long in one place.

Hunger was a permanent part of his life, and he was plagued by giant tropical ants, bees, centipedes, scorpions and snakes. To make fire he rubbed together two pieces of split bamboo prepared with a mixture of coconut fibre and gunpowder from old bullets.

Friends, relatives and old comrades visited the island to tell him that the war was over, and often he saw them and heard them calling to him through loudspeakers.

From his high ground he could see twinkling lights of the towns below. And he spotted luxury liners ablaze with lights out to sea. But he never once doubted that the war was still going on.

On February 20, 1974, Onoda met a Japanese man, Norio Suzuki, who was traveling around the world, looking for “Lieutenant Onoda, a panda, and the Abominable Snowman, in that order”. Suzuki found Onoda after four days of searching. Onoda described this moment in a 2010 interview: “This hippie boy Suzuki came to the island to listen to the feelings of a Japanese soldier. Suzuki asked me why I would not come out

Onoda and Suzuki became friends, but Onoda still refused to surrender, saying that he was waiting for orders from a superior officer. Suzuki returned to Japan with photographs of himself and Onoda as proof of their encounter, and the Japanese government located Onoda’s commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, who had since become a bookseller.

He flew to Lubang where on March 9, 1974, he finally met with Onoda.

As soon as the tattered figure recognised Taniguchi, he snapped to attention and shouted: “Lieutenant Onoda reporting for duty, sir!”

Taniguchi fulfilled the promise made in 1944, “Whatever happens, we’ll come back for you,” by issuing him the following orders:

In accordance with the Imperial command, the Fourteenth Area Army has ceased all combat activity.

In accordance with military Headquarters Command No. A-2003, the Special Squadron of Staff’s Headquarters is relieved of all military duties.

Units and individuals under the command of Special Squadron are to cease military activities and operations immediately and place themselves under the command of the nearest superior officer. When no officer can be found, they are to communicate with the American or Philippine forces and follow their directives.

So, at 15h00 on March 10, 1974, Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda at last stopped fighting World War II. It was his 52nd birthday.

Onoda was pardoned for his misdeeds in the Philippines by President Marcos. He went home and saw again his aged parents, who showed him the tombstone they had ordered for him at a time when they believed he had died in the jungle.

Onoda was greeted as a hero, and became famous around the world. But he could not stand the adulation. The man who had fought on alone for Japan decided to emigrate to Brazil.

After half a lifetime of war, he just wanted to find some peace.

Hiroo Onoda died of heart failure in Tokyo on 16 January, 2014.

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