Hiroo Onoda

Quick Facts: Who was Hiroo Onoda?

Subject:

Hiroo Onoda

Known for:

Imperial Japanese Army officer who famously held out as a WWII POW for nearly 29 years.

Born:

1922-03-19

Died:

2014-01-16

Century / Era:

1922s Historical Era Archive

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Hiroo Onoda (Japanese: 小野田 寛郎, Hepburn: Onoda Hiroo; IPA: [o̞no̞da̠ çiɾo̞ː]) (19 March 1922 – 16 January 2014) was a Japanese soldier who served as a second lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. One of the last Japanese holdouts, Onoda continued fighting for nearly 29 years after the war's end in 1945, carrying out guerrilla warfare on Lubang Island in the Philippines until 1974. Onoda initially held out with three other soldiers. One surrendered in 1950, and two were killed, one in 1954 and one in 1972. The men did not believe flyers and letters from their families stating that the war was over.

Career & Major Achievements

They survived on wild fruits, game, and stolen rice, and occasionally engaged in shootouts (using their service rifles) with locals and police. Onoda was contacted in the jungles of Lubang by Japanese adventurer Norio Suzuki in 1974 but still refused to surrender until he was formally relieved of duty by his former commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, who flew from Japan to the island to issue the order. Onoda surrendered on 10 March 1974 and received a hero's welcome when he returned to Japan. That year, he wrote and published an autobiography and later moved to Brazil, where he became a cattle rancher. In 1984, Onoda returned to Japan, where he died in 2014 at the age of 91.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Onoda was born on 19 March 1922, in Kamekawa, Wakayama, in the Empire of Japan. In 1939, he went to work at a branch of the Tajima Yoko trading company in Wuhan, China, and in 1942 was conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army. Onoda trained as an intelligence officer at the Futamata branch of the army's Nakano School, where he was instructed in guerrilla warfare. On 26 December 1944, Onoda was sent to lead guerrilla warfare operations on Lubang Island in the Japanese-occupied Philippines. His mission was to destroy the island's airstrip and the pier at its harbor ahead of the Allied invasion as well as to destroy any enemy planes or boats that attempted to land.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1922 (1922-03-19): Birth of Hiroo Onoda — Imperial Japanese Army officer who famously held out as a WWII POW for nearly 29 years.
2. 1939: 1939 Milestone — In 1939, he went to work at a branch of the Tajima Yoko trading company in Wuhan, China, and in 1942 was conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army.
3. 1944: 1944 Milestone — On 26 December 1944, Onoda was sent to lead guerrilla warfare operations on Lubang Island in the Japanese-occupied Philippines.
4. 1945: 1945 Milestone — One of the last Japanese holdouts, Onoda continued fighting for nearly 29 years after the war's end in 1945, carrying out guerrilla warfare on Lubang Island in the Philippines until 1974.
5. 1950: 1950 Milestone — One surrendered in 1950, and two were killed, one in 1954 and one in 1972.
6. 1974: 1974 Milestone — Onoda was contacted in the jungles of Lubang by Japanese adventurer Norio Suzuki in 1974 but still refused to surrender until he was formally relieved of duty by his former commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, who flew from Japan to the island to issue the order.
7. 1984: 1984 Milestone — In 1984, Onoda returned to Japan, where he died in 2014 at the age of 91.
8. 2014 (2014-01-16): Passing & Historical Legacy — Hiroo Onoda passed away on 2014-01-16, leaving an enduring historical legacy.

Notable Quotes by Hiroo Onoda

“This hippie boy, Suzuki, came to the island to listen to the feelings of a Japanese soldier.”

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Hiroo Onoda

True or False: “Hiroo Onoda surrendered immediately after the Allied forces landed on Lubang Island in 1945.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): Onoda refused to surrender until he was formally relieved of duty by his former commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, nearly three decades later.

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Frequently Asked Questions about Hiroo Onoda