Staying hidden on pacific islands, not believing the emperor would surrender. Were there more than a handful of documented vases, or is it mostly urban legend? Can someone point me towards some good articles?
There were cases in which the US Army had to assault Occupied islands in the early 50’s, I recall.
No cite.
I saw a program on 60 Minutes or something about a soldier who stayed in hiding 30 years after the war ended. I don’t know whether it’s this guy or not.
But IIRC, the soldier was holed up with two other guys, and for years they terrorized the natives for food and supplies. One of the three ran off after a few years, and the other two got in a fight resulting in one being killed. The last soldier wouldn’t “surrender” until his commanding officer, now in his 70s, came to the island to relieve him of duty.
There was some talk of a war crimes trial because he murdered his comrade, and because of his abuse of the island’s natives. But I believe they just blew it off and allowed him to become a hero.
But to answer your question, I don’t think there were more than a handful of cases. But its been a while since I saw the program so…
I knew of one or two, but it appears there were more cases than I thought.
Hiroo Onoda is one of the best known, hiding out in the Philippines until 1974. He was a special forces-style soldier assigned to collect surveillance information and survive on his own until new orders came in. When no new orders came, he kept right on with his last mission.
The Wiki page says that he moved to Brazil, but he moved back to Japan in the 80’s and now runs a “Nature School,” sort of like Outward Bound. His wife recently became the head of the Japan Women’s Association, a very conservative group that opposes gender equality measures.
The Guy has some interesting things to say about modern Japan and Japanese people: