I remember hearing this incredulous story in 1974. Japanese soldier, Hiroo Onoda, was still fighting, hiding in the jungle, not knowing WWII had ended.
He and his company of men managed to elude attempts to inform him where he was still living on Lubang Island in the Philippines. Onoda and his men unwittingly committed war crimes by continuing to attack thinking they were still at war.
There had been many pamphlets air dropped over the jungle hoping he would learn the truth. He did find them; he just thought they were lies and tricks.
In 1974, Norio Suzuki, a Japanese college dropout, made it his mission to find Onoda, Bigfoot and the abominable snowman. Suzuki found Onoda after only 4 days into his search. (Bigfoot and the abominable snowman remain unfound.)
When Onoda was located, he was the last survivor, but he still refused to believe the war was over because his commanding officer had given him direct orders to follow until he personally rescinded them.
The Japanese military brought his former commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, to officially rescind his orders to Onoda 29 years earlier.
Onota cried uncontrollably after finally accepting the war had ended. It’s estimated that he killed about 30 civilians thinking he was doing his duty to his country. Publicly, he would not really speak about these things stating that he was only doing what he thought was his beauty.
Even though he was never charged with anything, the judicial process in the Philippines was to simply issue Onoda a full pardon.
Onoda founded the Onoda Nature School and died of heart failure in 2014 at age 91 after having spent his last years teaching young people about nature, resilience and survival.
