The story of Hiroo Onoda is not only weird but it is also disturbing. It is a consensus that WWII came to an end in 1945. For him, it didn’t. It continued nearly 30 years more, not because he was lost, but because his brain would not allow it to stop.
In 1944, when he was sent out, he was nourished with this savage notion: Japan would prefer to die than to capitulate. That was what became his identity. Japanese only existed when it was fighting, in his opinion. If the war ended, Japan ended. And if Japan ended, so did he.
Then there came the order that closed all: he was not to die. No surrender. No suicide. Just survive and wait. Five years. Ten. Forever, if needed. That order became law.
When individuals attempted to present him with the truth, newspapers, photos, proof, he denied it. A modern Japan that was peaceful did not fit his reasoning, and thus he thought it was a fake one.
It was not until 1974 that his former commander himself informed him that it was all over.
That is the horror: when loyalty is more powerful than reality, reality is lost.
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