Hiroo Onoda
| Hirō Onoda | |
|---|---|
H. Onoda, c. 1944
|
|
| Born |
March 19, 1922 Kamekawa, Japan |
| Died | January 16, 2014 (aged 91) Tokyo, Japan |
| Allegiance |
 Empire of Japan
|
| Service/branch |
 Imperial Japanese Army
|
| Years of service | 1940–74 |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars |
World War II Philippines Campaign (1944–45) |
| Other work | Cattle farmer Entrepreneur (Education) |
Hirō Onoda (小野田 寛郎 Onoda Hirō?, March 19, 1922 – January 16, 2014) was an Imperial Japanese Army intelligence officer who fought in World War II and was a Japanese holdout who did not surrender in 1945. After Onoda spent 29 years holding out in the Philippines, his former commander traveled from Japan to personally issue orders relieving him from duty in 1974. He held the rank of second lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army.
Onoda was born on March 19, 1922, in Kamekawa Village, Kaisō District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. He belonged to a family of ancient samurai warrior class, and his father had been a sergeant in the 4th Cavalry Brigade until 1943 when he was killed in action in China. When he was 17 years old, he went to work for the Tajima Yoko trading company in Wuhan, China. When he was 18, he was enlisted in the Imperial Japanese Army Infantry.
Onoda trained as an intelligence officer in the commando class "Futamata" (二俣分校 futamata-bunkō?) of Nakano School. On December 26, 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.
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