STRAGGLERS: THE JAPANESE TROOPS LOST IN THE PACIFIC THEATER
The entertainment sector has no shortage of adventures where mankind is left to fend for itself alone against the elements. Everything from the cartoon escapades of Disney’s Tarzan to the critically-acclaimed film Cast Away and even the popular reality TV series Naked and Afraid, you’ll find no shortage of examples. But for many men who were ordered to defend Japan at all costs, surviving in harsh conditions was all too real. Known as Japanese Holdouts or Stragglers, throughout the years that followed the end of WWII, these troops were dedicated to their cause and survived while stuck, lost among a sea of islands in an ocean of untold vastness. Read next:What Life Was Like Inside a Japanese-American Internment Camp
Many Stragglers Left on the Islands
The Solomon Islands Campaign may have been simple, but it was far from easy. Japan’s goal following the attack on Pearl Harbor was to prevent American Forces, or any Allied Forces, from being able to gain momentum. Their method of preventing this was to take over many of the islands so they could defend against incoming forces as a buffer. While the effectiveness of this is up for debate, what isn’t is the fact that there are a lot of islands, and Japan sent many different troops to a variety of places that, even today, would probably have a hard time catching a proper cellphone signal. So, you can imagine that once World War II was over, there were communication issues involved. Some had lost radio contact, others may never have had it, but either way, members of the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy were left to survive and fight. Over the months, years, and decades that would follow the end of the Second World War, as many as around 150 Stragglers would end up being discovered. To be clear, these are just the ones verified and that were able to survive. Many, many more passed away during this time. These fighters were found in many different areas across the Pacific. Here are some of the most notable Japanese Holdouts found throughout the following decades: Sakae Ōba A captain in the Japanese military, he and his 46 guerilla fighters didn’t surrender until December 1, 1945, which was three months after the end of the war. Ei Yamaguchi As a Japanese soldier in WWII, Yamaguchi would be the Lieutenant of his group with 33 others by his side. They attacked U.S. Marines on Peleliu in March of 1947, which led to additional U.S. troops being brought in as well as Japanese military officials. Finally able to convince the group that the war was over, they surrendered in April 1947. Yamakage Kufuku and Matsudo Linsoki Three years and 130 days after Japan’s surrender, these members of the Imperial Japanese Navy had been found. They surrendered on Iwo Jima and would eventually write a book describing their experiences, which ultimately outed their true identities. Hiroo Onoda Lt. Hiroo Onoda would surrender after holding out on the island of Lubang, but only after he was relieved of duty. His dedication to the cause forced his former commanding officer, Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, to be flown out to do so. Onoda lasted 28 years and 210 days past the end of WWII. Teruo Nakamura Nakamura was the last confirmed Holdout found an astounding 29 years and 107 days after the war had ended. He became a WWII Japanese soldier as a Takasago volunteer, indigenous people from Chinese and Taiwanese backgrounds. The Indonesian Air Force found Nakamura, and despite various other stories, he is the last known Straggler to be confirmed.
Japanese Holdouts and Tourism
As crazy as it might sound, there are some that believe fabricated stories of Japanese Holdouts were created in the 1990s to boost tourism. While reports were made about suspected Stragglers in areas such as Mindoro, Philippines, in 1997, nothing could be confirmed. Today, it’s virtually accepted on a universal level that all of the remaining troops left in Southeast Asia after WWII have either been found or have passed away.
Were Yoshio Yamakawa and Tsuzuki Nakauchi Stragglers?
It makes sense why it's been difficult to both ignore the possibility of additional Japanese Holdouts and acknowledge the difficulty in confirming them. Such was the case with Fumio Nakahara in 1980, who was never confirmed. An incredible 60 years after the war ended, however, two soldiers emerged from the jungle. It may seem improbable that two men, Yoshio Yamakawa, age 87, and Tsuzuki Nakauchi, age 85, would survive for that long, but both men claimed to have lived all this time on the island of Mindanao in the Philippines. The duo didn’t want to return, as they feared they would face desertion charges, and while headlines were somewhat scarce, it did invoke a response from Japan to send officials to try and repatriate them. Unfortunately, we may never know the truth. On the day of the meeting, the men didn’t show up. The Japanese mediator that had set up a meeting with the Japanese embassy and officials claimed that the men had snuck off to return to their hiding place, overwhelmed by the news cycle their story had produced. It’s said that they were the last remaining troops after U.S. Forces destroyed the group they were with. It’s also said that they were able to produce IDs and write in Japanese. But we will likely never be able to truly verify these men or many others like them. Some Stragglers died waiting for help and hiding from a war that didn’t exist. Others were killed or killed themselves once discovered. Then there are the others who lived lives uniquely their own, jotting down pages of history that may never be read. Suggested read:Japanese-American Soldiers in WW2 Served While Losing Their Rights
Images: Japan Times | All That's Interesting