In the spring of 1974, Second Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda of the Japanese army made world headlines when he emerged from the Philippine jungle after a thirty-year ordeal. Hunted in turn by American troops, the Philippine police, hostile islanders, and successive Japanese search parties, Onoda had skillfully outmaneuvered all his pursuers, convinced that World War II was still being fought and that one day his fellow soldiers would return victorious. This account of those years is an epic tale of the will to survive that offers a rare glimpse of man's invincible spirit, resourcefulness, and ingenuity. A hero to his people, Onoda wrote down his experiences soon after his return to civilization. This book was translated into English the following year and has enjoyed an approving audience ever since.
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Text: English, Japanese (translation)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 40 people found the following review helpful
By "michaeleve"
Format:Paperback
I remember this as a news story in 1974; a Japanese soldier emerging from the jungles of the Philippines after finally realizing that WWII was over. I recall thinking 'he must be crazy'. NO SURRENDER shows it's not so. This is the true story of 2nd Lt Hiroo Onoda, who, on orders from his commanding officer retreated with a small band of men into the jungle to carry out guerilla attacks against returning American troops and the Filipinos. He was to stay alive and await reinforcements.
He didn't know when WWII ended and every attempt by Americans, locals, and even friends and familiy from Japan, to get him to come out was seen as a trap by Onoda. Only when his orders were specifically rescinded, did he emerge. Over the years his skills in evading and surviving were honed to a edge.
For humanists this is a positive message and a remarkable tale about the ability of the human spirit to endure great hardships for the sake of beliefs and duty. Less positive, from a mental health perspective, the book is a startling illustration of the power of the mind to program itself to shut out all messages and signals it does not wish to receive.
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By B. Willis
Format:Paperback
Growing up I had heard the incredible stories of Japanese soldiers popping up from the jungles years & decades after the war was over. It always blew me away that someone could continue on fighting for so long after the war had ended. I could see someone doing it for 1 or 2 years because they were usually on isolated islands. No one (as far as we Know) was fighting the war for longer than Hiroo Onada.
The only thing was though Onada didn't really need to fight for longer than the one or two years after 1945 when the war ended - that is if his mind wasn't blocking out all the information that was showing him the war was over. No matter what happened he was too suspicious that it was a trap by the American's or Filipinos. I found the story amazing but after a while one has to wonder if he will ever believe anything.
Countless times the island was blanketed with notes dropped from planes that said the war was over & Japan had surrendered. One of the soldiers he lived with walked away from Onada & his friends in 1949 (after 5 years living with Onada). He walked to freedom & then came back & tried to convince the last 3 soldiers (Onada, Shimada & Kozuka) to give up - that the war was over, they were wasting their time. They dropped notes with the 3 soldiers names on it, pictures of Onada's family members...& walked around the island with bullhorns yelling that the war was over. Onada, Shimada & Kozuka heard this from their friend & saw the notes but were convinced that their friend was captured by the enemy & it was all a trap.
Over the years his brother came & yelled on speakers to get Onada to surrender, Onada got within 150 yards of his brother & recognized him & his voice but still thought it was a trap.
Another time his sister did the same thing - he still thought something was fishy & refused to fall for the trap. People always left old newspapers around - from around the world , but mostly from the Philipines & Japan. Sometimes the stacks of newspapers were several feet high. They would read them all, right down to the "want ads". They still twisted things in their minds that the Americans had edited out all these papers & taken out the parts about the war - Onada thought the Americans went to all this trouble just to trick these couple of people on some isolated island.
For about 15 years they had access to a transistor radio & they would listen to stations all over the world - mostly Japanese but others such as the BBC. Still they couldn't wrap their heads around it that things were as they were being told from ex-soldier friends & family members. Finally after 30 years somehow Onada saw the light.
The survival part of the book is pretty interesting & there is no doubt his 30 years of living out in the elements & off the land is one of the greatest survival stories in our lifetime.
He was a smart guy & had a brilliant mind for details but his mind prevented him from seeing that the war was over 29 years before he finally walked out of the jungle.
The only thing was though Onada didn't really need to fight for longer than the one or two years after 1945 when the war ended - that is if his mind wasn't blocking out all the information that was showing him the war was over. No matter what happened he was too suspicious that it was a trap by the American's or Filipinos. I found the story amazing but after a while one has to wonder if he will ever believe anything.
Countless times the island was blanketed with notes dropped from planes that said the war was over & Japan had surrendered. One of the soldiers he lived with walked away from Onada & his friends in 1949 (after 5 years living with Onada). He walked to freedom & then came back & tried to convince the last 3 soldiers (Onada, Shimada & Kozuka) to give up - that the war was over, they were wasting their time. They dropped notes with the 3 soldiers names on it, pictures of Onada's family members...& walked around the island with bullhorns yelling that the war was over. Onada, Shimada & Kozuka heard this from their friend & saw the notes but were convinced that their friend was captured by the enemy & it was all a trap.
Over the years his brother came & yelled on speakers to get Onada to surrender, Onada got within 150 yards of his brother & recognized him & his voice but still thought it was a trap.
Another time his sister did the same thing - he still thought something was fishy & refused to fall for the trap. People always left old newspapers around - from around the world , but mostly from the Philipines & Japan. Sometimes the stacks of newspapers were several feet high. They would read them all, right down to the "want ads". They still twisted things in their minds that the Americans had edited out all these papers & taken out the parts about the war - Onada thought the Americans went to all this trouble just to trick these couple of people on some isolated island.
For about 15 years they had access to a transistor radio & they would listen to stations all over the world - mostly Japanese but others such as the BBC. Still they couldn't wrap their heads around it that things were as they were being told from ex-soldier friends & family members. Finally after 30 years somehow Onada saw the light.
The survival part of the book is pretty interesting & there is no doubt his 30 years of living out in the elements & off the land is one of the greatest survival stories in our lifetime.
He was a smart guy & had a brilliant mind for details but his mind prevented him from seeing that the war was over 29 years before he finally walked out of the jungle.
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
By Vaughn W.
Format:Paperback
No Surrender, by Hiroo Onada, is a very interesting book! It tells the story of a Japanese soldier during World War II who was sent by his superior's to a secluded island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a mission. However, he and his party, due to the nature of their work, were not informed that World War II had officially ended. For the next 30 years, he travels around the island pilfering, storing, sneaking, and scouting, still believing he was doing his duty to Japan.
Although there were repeated attempts to contact Onada, all failed. For instance, he found a newspaper article about himself about 10 years after the war ended. He believed the article was "enemy propaganda" and was "an attempt to get me to surrender".
Finally, in the 70's, Onada's superior ranking officer finally made contact with him and told him to come home. He complied.
No Surrender is an incredibly interesting read, even if you're not interested in history/World War II. The story is very captivating, and Onada's will to survive is amazing.
I would definitely recommend this book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Equal parts determination and denial
Hiroo Onoda was a young lieutenant in the Japanese army in 1944, when he was sent to the island of Lubang in the Philippines. When U.S. Read more
Published 1 month ago by William S. Grass
1.0 out of 5 stars
translation or how Mr. Onoda related the story
I figured out Mr.Onoda's Reason for continuing "His War" early on. That was not my reason for giving up reading very early. Read more
Published 2 months ago by bill totten
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good buy!
Great book! What a really interesting story. It's cool to see the war from the perspective of the other side rather than just American.
Published 3 months ago by Jim cummings
4.0 out of 5 stars
No Surrender
The book was very good and gives an interesting insight into the fanatical devotion some Japanese soldiers had during the war and the inability to conceive of Japan surrendering. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Marty Ouellette
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thoroughly enjoyed it!
I surprised my husband by buying this book for my husband who had been talking about Hiroo Onoda. He was so excited about receiving it, he read it in two days. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kathleen A Dommer-Coryell
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic
On face value this fantastic story of evasion can be seen as one mans delusion as to never give up in the name of Japan!! Read more
Published 6 months ago by Marley
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting.
Interesting book. They basically outsmarted themselves as they continued to assume all efforts to get them to give themselves up was construed by the CIA. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Rocketman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brian Donovan
For the moron who gave this story of determination and bravery, and a refusal to surrender one measly star, you are an idiot. Hiroo Onoda is a HERO in military and human history. Read more
Published 11 months ago by brian
4.0 out of 5 stars
No Surrender
This was an interesting book regarding the life as a Japanese soldier who was committed to his country and by order was not allowed to kill himself. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jim
5.0 out of 5 stars
This exile knows how to bake!
I'm guessing that if you're here, looking at these reviews, you probably get the gist of what this book is about. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Lucas W. Spann
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