Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda was deployed to Lubang Island in the Philippines in 1944 with orders to conduct guerrilla warfare and never surrender. When the war ended in 1945, Onoda and three companions retreated into the jungle and continued their mission, convinced that Allied leaflets announcing the surrender were propaganda.
Over the decades, his companions died or surrendered, but Onoda continued alone. He lived off the land, conducted raids on local farms and police posts, and killed approximately 30 Filipino citizens, believing he was still at war. The Japanese government dropped leaflets, sent search parties, and his family made radio appeals—all of which Onoda dismissed as enemy tricks.
He was finally persuaded to surrender in March 1974 when his former commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, was located and flown to Lubang to formally relieve him of his duties. Onoda emerged from the jungle in a uniform held together with patches, carrying a still-functional rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition, and several hand grenades. He was 52 years old. The Philippine government pardoned him for the killings, and he returned to Japan as a celebrity.