The Confused WWII Soldier Who Didn’t Surrender Until 1974

While the Second World War ended in 1945, can you imagine what it was like for one confused WWII soldier who never gave up the fight? For twenty-eight long years, one man waged war against an unsuspecting populace. Despite news of the war's end, things wouldn't draw to a close without a frankly surprising conclusion.

The confused WWII soldier at the heart of this story is Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda of the Imperial Japanese Army. Born in 1922, Onoda was conscripted into the IJA in 1942. Much of his early years in the service were devoted to specialized training.

Upon his conscription in the IJA, Onoda would train at the Nakano School. The Nakano School was a specialized training facility for officers planning to work in intelligence. Onoda was different from any other example of a WWII soldier as he specialized in guerrilla warfare.

The long-lasting WWII soldier was sent to Lubang Island, part of the Phillippines. Onoda linked up with a group of other officers who were sent to Lubang. Conflicting orders given by his direct superior and those on the island led to his primary objectives never being completed.

The United States liberated Lubang Island in February 1945. Onoda and the other WWII soldiers he was with let it happen with zero resistance. By the time the war ended, no news reached their ears. They were too busy living off the land and attacking civilians as per their directives.

Onoda and his compatriots received airdropped leaflets from the commander of the Japanese Fourteenth Area Army proclaiming the end of the war. Despite this, the WWII soldier decided to fight on, musing that the leaflets, letters, and other materials were mere propaganda. By 1972, Onoda was left by himself. Two of his comrades were killed in action, and a third surrendered to Phillippine authorities.

1974 saw Norio Suzuki venture to Lubang Island. A known Japanese adventurer, he came to Lubang Island for the sole purpose of locating the lost WWII soldier. Interestingly, Suzuki didn't have to search for very long, he'd come across Hiroo Onoda after four days of searching.

Despite Suzuki's pleas, Onoda wouldn't return home to Japan. Instead, he awaited orders from his commanding officer, Lieutenant General Shizuo Yokoyama. Suzuki returned home to Japan with photos of himself and the WWII soldier. Just a month later, Yokoyama met Onoda in the jungles of Lubang to tell him to stand down.

Onoda surrendered to Phillippine authorities on March 10th, 1974. He was granted a full pardon for his crimes, despite being culpable in the murder of at least 30 civilians while on the island. He'd spend a year in Japan before moving to Brazil. Onoda died in 2014 of congestive heart failure at the age of 91.