The Japanese Soldier Who Wouldn’t Surrender

By IAN DE MELLO
Staff Writer


World War II was the bloodiest affair ever waged by Humans in the history of the world. From Europe to Asia, battles were fought on all sides with new tactics and technology. Among the most horrid fighting conditions occurred in the Pacific and in the swamps, jungles, and mountains of the Pacific and Philippine islands. It is here in particular where some of the deadliest battles were fought, in no thanks due to the determined and fierce Japanese defenders. This is key to explaining the story of Hiroo Onoda, the Japanese soldier who waged a three-man guerilla campaign for over 29 years after World War II ended, who only surrendered after being ordered so by his former commander.

Japanese training was rigorous and taught a variety of skills, such as operating and maintaining enemy equipment and bayonet tactics. While these differentiated among soldiers of different classes, such as a conscript compared to an officer, one thing encompassed them all. Yamato-Yamashita, or Japanese spirit, was taught to all soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) and included deep spiritual education. To the typical Japanese soldier, only through their spirits alone can they conquer even the most arduous tasks that lie in front of them. While initially spurring from the Heian period which stretched from 794 to 1185 in Japan, it was picked up by the Edo period samurais which were where the IJA gained most of their inspiration. The most sacred code of honor and ethics, the Bushido code, was among the most studied by Japanese soldiers. While it initially formed as a code of ethics for samurais, it was repurposed for the war effort, glorifying death and commanding soldiers to give their lives for the country and de facto, the Emperor. Surrender was deemed cowardly, and those who did forfeit their honor and dignity, which highly incentivized soldiers to fight until the bitter end.

In 1940, at the age of 18, Hiroo Onoda joined the ranks of the IJA infantry and later trained as an intelligence officer under the commando class, an elite light infantry classification. In late 1944, Onoda was sent to the island of Lubang, situated in the Philippines, to halt the American advance as much as possible. Surrender and suicide were disallowed by his orders. Eventually, American and Filipino forces landed on the island and quickly overran the Japanese. By the time the dust settled, only Onoda and three other men had survived. Still trusting in his orders and being a superior rank to the rest, he ordered his men to the mountains to wage a guerilla campaign. By the time Japan surrendered in August of 1945, Onoda and his men were still camped out in the mountains, engaging in shootouts against local police. October of that year, farmers had left behind pamphlets detailing the fact that the war was indeed over and for them to surrender peacefully. They believed the pamphlet was a ruse and continued their struggle. More pamphlets were dropped by air, this time with the surrender order given by General Tomoyuki Yamashita but once again, they believed the pamphlets were not genuine.

Eventually, 1 of the 4 soldiers surrendered in 1950 which made the group further paranoid. Another was killed by police in 1952, and the last remaining member of his group was also killed in 1972, leaving Onoda alone. Japanese adventurer Norio Suzuki endeavored to find him, which he successfully did in 1974, and quickly befriended the isolated Onoda. Despite hearing of the surrender from a Japanese citizen, he still refused to surrender, to which Suzuki responded that he would bring Onoda’s commanding officer. Pictures of Suzuki and Onoda were published and the army at once sent the officer responsible to relieve Onoda of his command. Finally, on March 9th, 1974, Onoda was relieved of all military duties and was brought back to Japan where he died of heart failure in 2014.

This event alone has been evidence of the sheer effectiveness that Japanese propaganda was able to have on soldiers. Statistically, 1 in 120 Japanese soldiers surrendered while 1 in 3 European soldiers surrendered, resulting in massive disparages between the two. While it was fortunate that Onoda made it out of the Philippines alive, the fact that so many years were lost fighting a lost war is tragic in its own right. Many Japanese men did not have the privilege of surviving the war due to their warped perceptions of honor and war, as seen with the fate of the men in Onoda’s squad.