Hiroo Onoda was the Japanese intelligence officer who remained in the Philippines until surrendering in 1974.
Onoda had been sent to Lubang Island in the Philippines in 1944 and ordered to conduct guerrilla warfare and avoid surrender. After Japan’s defeat, he and several fellow soldiers continued hiding in the island’s forests because they believed the war had not truly ended or that Allied messages were propaganda.
Three of Onoda’s companions eventually died or left the group. Onoda remained in the field until former Japanese army officer Yoshimi Taniguchi, who had become a bookseller, traveled to the Philippines and formally relieved him of his duties. Onoda surrendered to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos on 9 March 1974.
Shoichi Yokoi and Teruo Nakamura are also famous Japanese holdouts, but they were different men in different locations. Onoda’s case is notable because his commanding officer personally issued the order that ended his mission.