Japanese Holdouts in the Pacific

[Domen123]

I have found an interesting wesbite:

http://www.wanpela.com/holdouts/list.html

For example:

June 1947 Philippines
4,000 of the 114,000 troops in the Philippines as of August 1945 were still unaccounted for in mid 1946. Only 109 miles from the capital, Manila, were signs warning about armed Japanese soldiers still in the hills.

4,000 still fighting in 1947 !!!

Or this one:

Late 1948 China
An estimated 10-20,000 well equipped Japanese troops were trapped in the mountains of Manchuria and did not surrender until late in 1948. They were caught in a no man's land of civil war stuck between the warring Nationalist and Communist forces and were unable to surrender.

Also note that as late as in 2005 on Mindanao Island two Japanese soldiers were found in the jungle - Yoshio Yamakawa (87 years old) and Tsuzuki Nakauchi (85 years old)! They were soldiers of the 30th Emperor's Infantry Division and were recognized as KIA during the last months of WW2. According to Japanese press, there are still around 40 Japanese soldiers (or rather were in 2005) "fighting against Americans" somewhere in the mountains and jungles of Mindanao Island!

This is not the only such case. For example in 1974 Japanese officer Hiroo Honoda was found in the jungle of Lubang Island - he was hiding there for 30 years. He didn't know about the capitulation of Japan and when he was told about it, he couldn't believe it. He thought that the war was still in progress.

See also this:

http://auntiecharo.guam.net/archives/2005/08/index.html

"Post-Treaty -- December 8, 1945, more than three months after peace was officially concluded---U.S Marines fought the final full-fledged firefight with the Japanese at Asan Point, Guam. Snipers ambushed a four-man patrol of A Co., 4th MP Bn., killing three Marines: Lt. Ray W. Atchinson, Cpl. Howard W. Price and Pvt. Herbert E. Ward. Pvt. Robert K. Ross, the sole survivor, was
wounded. But the dubious distinction of being the last American killed in action by the Japanese actually goes to Pfc. William C. Patrick Bates of K Co., 3rd Bn., 3rd Regt., 3rd Marine Div., on Dec 14, 1945. Part of Patrol No. 7, a 16-man squad, Bates was on a five-day sweep of Tactical Area 505 Peter located behind the Asan-Piti beaches in Guam's west-central sector. The search-and-destroy mission for Japanese stragglers was headed for the village of Piti. The squad was moving along a ridge covered with 6-foot-high sword grass when shots rang out at 12:30 p.m. "I was the last man
to see Bates before the shooting," Pfc. Charles E. Kocourek stated. "As I entered about four feet into the grass, the shooting started. The shots came from our right. I hit the deck and counted six or seven shots." Assistant patrol leader Cpl. William W. Culver said, "When the firing started everyone hit the deck," but it ceased quickly. Bates, flank man 10 yards to the right of the column, was the only Marine hit. Fellow patrol members never fired a shot or even sighted the enemy. Perhaps only one or two Japanese staged the ambush. It took 15 or 20 minutes to locate Bates' wounded body---he died approximately 45 minutes later at about 1:30 p.m.
The Alabaman had originally arrived on Guam on Sept. 21, 1944, about a month after the island battle. He survived the Battle of Iwo Jima only to become the last American KIA in World War II. He is buried in Honolulu's Punchbowl, Section 17, Grave Number 178. His hometown public library honored him in 1995."

[hellheaven1987]

Well, the problem is that many Japanese units had poor radio communication even during the war, and not surprised when the war was over many of them had no radio to inform them, particulatly those in remote area.

For Manchuria case, perhaps it was because they were waiting Nationalist Chinese to show up, which Postdam Conference confirmed Japanese could only surrender to Nationalist China but not Communist China; Chiang even ordered that Japanese must hold against Communist until his force showed up (but then, most Japanese PoWs surrendered to CCP were either missing or died, so there were good reason why Japanese should hold).

[Chukada1]

What a bunch of idiots.

[hellheaven1987]

What a bunch of idiots.

Well, if they don't know the war is over and no one inform them it is not their fault right??

[boofhead]

What a bunch of idiots.

I admire their fortitude and strength of character.

[Chukada1]

I admire their fortitude and strength of character.

I also admire their idiocy.

Well, if they don't know the war is over and no one inform them it is not their fault right??

Mabye the absense of American AND Japanese troops could have given them a hint.

[hellheaven1987]

Mabye the absense of American AND Japanese troops could have given them a hint.

Ya, lets hope all Japanese troops in Pacific and South-East Asia islands surrendered in 1944 because no American troops show up.

Or, should we blame American using Island Hoping and avoid awful a lot of islands, which caused bunch of Japanese troops never see an American??

[Pious Agnost]

Gotta hand it to those Japanese.

They can be awesome sometimes

[CtrlAltDe1337]

What a bunch of idiots.

I'd hardly call them idiots. Very brave, somewhat overzealous for Japan, but not idiots.

[Downey]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_holdout

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoichi_Yokoi

I remember reading this guys book, it was pretty intense.

[Hub'ite]

This is not the only such case. For example in 1974 Japanese officer Hiroo Honoda was found in the jungle of Lubang Island - he was hiding there for 30 years. He didn't know about the capitulation of Japan and when he was told about it, he couldn't believe it. He thought that the war was still in progress.

Gotta admire the man's dedication.

[John I Tzimisces]

I'm always reminded of the movie "Big fat greek wedding" when I hear about these cases. "And we had to remind grandma again that the war with the turks was over." Or something like that.

[hellheaven1987]

I'm always reminded of the movie "Big fat greek wedding" when I hear about these cases. "And we had to remind grandma again that the war with the turks was over." Or something like that.

To most old Greek generation they are forever with war against Turk.

[Pious Agnost]

Or any Greek with a Youtube account

[Markas]

Reminds me of the old Ronnie Corbett joke where he said 'I finally decided to cut my lawn and when I started the mower two Japanese soldiers came out and surrendered'.

I can't help but think these guys knew in their hearts the war was over but had just developed a pathological inability to accept it, possibly due to their conditioning as soldiers of the Emperor. It's hard to be seen to fail a living god, lest you offend your ancestors.

[Pious Agnost]

Well they have their own special way out of that

[Markas]

Well they have their own special way out of that

I suppose in their mind they were still fighting, or maybe their courage stopped short of ruining their dinner.

[hellheaven1987]

I can't help but think these guys knew in their hearts the war was over but had just developed a pathological inability to accept it, possibly due to their conditioning as soldiers of the Emperor. It's hard to be seen to fail a living god, lest you offend your ancestors.

Perhaps, but a physical war only ends when you recieve the order.

Those men simply had no equipment to recieve those order, so even the war was ended in their heart they had to fight on because there was no order came down.

[Keravnos]

I can't help but think these guys knew in their hearts the war was over but had just developed a pathological inability to accept it, possibly due to their conditioning as soldiers of the Emperor. It's hard to be seen to fail a living god, lest you offend your ancestors.

I agree. This is a catch 22 if there ever was one. Anyone speaking against this, as in "surrendering" would be shot on site as a traitor, even if there would be absolutely no hope for salvation. Those Japanese "stay behind" troops were a different sort, as Japanese HQ solemnly felt that it would somehow return to re-occupy those islands.

[Purified_Slander]

Interesting. I always wondered if SS soldiers in Nazi Germany were capable of holding out.

Well I guess they weren't as die hard as the Jap soldiers.