Japanese soldier found on Philipine island

Saw a report by the Dutch news agency ANP yesterday (January 13) that a Japanese soldier has been found in the jungle on the island Mindoro in the Philipines. He had apparently been there since WW II. Amazing, if it's true. Has anyone else seen this reported?

: Philipines. He had apparently been there since WW II.

Nobody can be _that_ stupid. If the case is hailed as an example of 'loyalty' to the state and its rulers, then the question comes, after 50 years, what state and what rulers?. It must be summer journalism case from the Dutch agency, even though we have winter up here.

I am from the Philippines and the story of the Japanese 'straggler' found in an island here called Mindoro is indeed true.

The case was discovered more than ten years ago IIRC, however. I am not aware of any new or recent case of the same nature. It was sort of a big news here in Manila and in Japan and it even necessitated making this guy's superior come over to the Philippines to order this straggler to 'surrender' already.

I will try to look for more details as to when exactly this happenned and as to who the person is.

Regards,

Lorenz Lasco

I wouldn't say that nobody could be that stupid. You can't really judge the actions of someone raised in a different time and different background based on the way you would act. I don't know if this story is true or not but there was one about 15 years ago in which a Japanese soldier was captured and returned home. IIRC he surrendered his sword to Hirohito and was treated as a hero. From my dim recollection, he had had several comrades from the Philippines campaign of 1944 who had survived but they were killed or captured one by one over the years until he was the last one left. I would not be surprised if there are still more out there hiding from a sense of loyalty or fear. If they have been incommunicado for 50 years, they have no idea whether or not the war is over. They might think that they face death if captured especially if they participated in some of the atrocities that the Japanese forces seemed to revel in. Maybe they have made lives for themselves with which they are comfortable and fear change. They longer they stay hidden, the harder it is to come in.

The last Japanese soldier on Philipines gave up in '76. A group of 4 Japs were cut off in 44 one gave up in the 50s two were killed ( the philipines hadhave a civil war w/commies). A group from japan went in and the last guy gave up. He went back to Japan and was a big hero. He wrote a few books. Larry

There was a case about six years ago in Thailand. About a dozen Japanese soldiers and civilian railroad construction workers came out of the jungle and surendered to the Thai army. I dont knok what hapened to them after that, but I imagene that they were repatriated to Japan.