He so desperately needs to believe this because the alternative is he'll have to face the truth: that he fucked up his marriage, his son's life and his body for nothing.
For those of you who don’t know, Hiroo Onoda was one of the last Japanese soldiers who didn’t believe the war was over and that Japan had surrendered, so he spent the next 29 years hiding out in the jungles of the Philippines and didn’t surrender until 1974.
After the war, Onoda continued his mission, initially living in the mountains of Lubang Island in the Philippines with three fellow soldiers; Private Yuichi Akatsu, Corporal Shōichi Shimada, and Private First Class Kinshichi Kozuka. During his stay, Onoda and his companions carried out guerrilla activities and engaged in several shootouts with the local police. Onoda, along with his fellow soldiers, allegedly killed up to 30 Filipino civilians on Lubang over three decades – during and after World War II.
Onoda trained as an intelligence officer in the commando class "Futamata" of the Nakano School. On 26 December 1944, he was sent to Lubang Island in the Philippines. He was ordered to do all he could to hamper enemy attacks on the island, including destroying the airstrip and the pier at the harbor. Onoda's orders also stated that under no circumstances was he to surrender or take his own life.
When he landed on the island, Onoda joined forces with a group of Japanese soldiers who had been sent there previously. The officers in the group outranked Onoda and prevented him from carrying out his assignment, which made it easier for the United States and Philippine Commonwealth forces to take the island when they landed on 28 February 1945. Within a short time of the landing, all but Onoda and three other soldiers had either died or surrendered. Onoda, who had been promoted to lieutenant, ordered the men to take to the hills.
In October 1945, they encountered a leaflet proclaiming Japan's surrender for the first time. Another instance involved stumbling upon a leaflet left by locals after killing a cow, stating, "The war ended on 15 August. Come down from the mountains!" However, they regarded this with suspicion, considering it Allied propaganda. Their skepticism was reinforced by their belief that they wouldn't have been attacked if the war had truly ended. Towards the close of 1945, air-dropped leaflets containing a surrender decree from General Tomoyuki Yamashita of the Fourteenth Area Army appeared. For the group, who had been in hiding for over six months, this leaflet served as their sole indication that the war had ended. They meticulously analyzed it, ultimately deeming it inauthentic.
In September 1949, one of the four soldiers, Yuichi Akatsu, separated from the group and surrendered to Philippine forces by March 1950, spending six months alone. This incident raised security concerns among the remaining soldiers, prompting them to exercise even greater caution. In 1952, an aircraft dropped letters and family photos encouraging surrender, but the trio dismissed it as a ruse. Shimada sustained a leg injury in a confrontation with local fishermen in June 1953, during which Onoda tended to him until recovery. Tragically, Shimada was fatally shot by a police search party on 7 May 1954. Kozuka met his demise on 19 October 1972, succumbing to two gunshot wounds inflicted by local police while he and Onoda were engaged in guerrilla activities, burning rice gathered from farmers. At that point, Onoda found himself alone.
On 20 February 1974, Onoda encountered Norio Suzuki, a Japanese traveler on a global quest in search of "Lieutenant Onoda, a panda, and the Abominable Snowman, in that order". Suzuki successfully located Onoda after four days of relentless searching. Reflecting on the encounter during a 2010 interview, Onoda recounted, "This hippie boy Suzuki came to the island to listen to the feelings of a Japanese soldier. Suzuki asked me why I would not come out...". Despite forming a friendship with Suzuki, Onoda remained steadfast in his refusal to surrender, citing his commitment to await orders from a superior officer.
Upon Suzuki's return to Japan, armed with photographs as evidence of his encounter with Onoda, the Japanese government successfully located Onoda's former commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, who had transitioned to a career as a bookseller. Taniguchi promptly journeyed to Lubang Island, where, on 9 March 1974, he finally reunited with Onoda, fulfilling a pledge made years earlier in 1944: "Whatever happens, we'll come back for you". Taniguchi then issued Onoda the following directives:
1. In compliance with the Imperial command, the Fourteenth Area Army has ceased all combat operations.
2. In adherence to Military Headquarters Command No. A-2003, the Special Squadron of Staff's Headquarters is relieved of all military obligations.
3. Units and personnel under the jurisdiction of the Special Squadron are to immediately halt all military activities and operations, placing themselves under the command of the nearest superior officer. In the absence of an officer, they are to establish communication with either American or Philippine forces and adhere to their instructions.
Consequently, Onoda was formally discharged from his duties and finally surrendered. He relinquished his sword, a functional Arisaka Type 99 rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition, several hand grenades, and the dagger bestowed upon him by his mother in 1944, intended for self-termination in case of capture. Among those who held out, only Private Teruo Nakamura, apprehended on 18 December 1974 in Indonesia, endured for a longer duration.
The President of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, publicly pardoned him for his actions against local residents in a televised ceremony. However, controversy arose when Onoda returned to Lubang Island in 1996, as his wife, Machie Onoda (formerly Honoku), had arranged a donation of US$10,000 for a scholarship fund at the local school. In 2006, Machie Onoda assumed leadership of the conservative Japan Women's Association (JWA), which was founded by the conservative organization Nippon Kaigi in September 2001.
On 16 January 2014, Onoda passed away at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo due to heart failure, stemming from complications related to pneumonia.