Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese imperial army officer, remained in hiding on the Philippine island of Lubang for nearly 30 years after World War II ended. He left the jungle in 1974, only after receiving a direct order from his former commander, and moved to Brazil the following year.
Onoda was 22 when he was sent to Lubang in December 1944. His orders were to hinder the advance of American forces, carry out sabotage and never surrender or take his own life. After Japan officially surrendered in August 1945, Onoda and three fellow soldiers dismissed messages dropped on the island as enemy deception.
Authorities and relatives later tried to reach the holdouts with letters and audio messages. Onoda remained convinced Japan had not surrendered. One of his companions gave himself up in 1950; the other two later died in clashes with local police, leaving Onoda alone.
He survived on food including coconuts, bananas, rice and cattle taken from local farmers. He also kept his uniform, sword and rifle in working order, believing he was still on duty.
In February 1974, Japanese explorer Norio Suzuki found Onoda. But Onoda would not surrender his weapons without a direct order from his superior. The Japanese government located former Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, who had left military service and was working in a bookstore. On March 9, Taniguchi traveled to Lubang in his old uniform and read Onoda an official order to cease operations and demobilize. Onoda, then 52, saluted and handed over his sword.
After returning to Japan, Onoda struggled with the media attention and the cultural changes he encountered. He moved to Brazil in 1975, settled in Terenos, in Mato Grosso do Sul, and raised cattle for more than a decade. He died in Tokyo in January 2014, aged 91. His story was later told in the 2021 film “Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle.”
Sources: CNN Brasil.