A battle of survival

The later version of the type 99 (above) was crudely made however did not perform differently 

My research this week brought up a few useful insights into the Island of Lubang, both in the time that Onoda inhabited it and what it’s like in the present day.

The island itself is 25 kilometres long and 10 kilometres wide – making a land mass of 125 square kilometres of dense jungle, mountains and beaches which gives us more insight into how Onoda managed to evade detection for so long.

According to an article on the ‘Onoda Trail’:

‘Wild boars, wild chickens, and small jungle animals may be a rare sight, but snakes would suddenly dart out from the undergrowth to cross one’s path.’

Which goes to show some of the dangers faced by Onoda and his men from the jungle around them, as well as other common dangerous insects and diseases commonplace in similar pacific islands.

In his book Onoda states:

“During the 30 years on Lubang, the only thing I always had plenty of, was water, The streams on the island were … so clear you could see the bottom,”

And with the jungle providing lots of fruit such as jackfruit, cashew, coconut, guava, banana and pineapple, (as well as small villages which were raided for grain supplies and the occasional animal) they were able to survive in the jungle with limited supplies and survival training.

As for the equipment he carried with him, an account of his first meeting with his commanding officer and handing over his weapons it says:

“He turned over his sword, his functioning Arisaka Type 99 rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition and several hand grenades,”

Although much questioning over the quality of the late-era Arisaka Type 99 or ‘last ditch’ era rifles, the obvious drop in quality of the rifles was purely cosmetic to save money on manufacturing costs. So, despite being crudely built – Onoda’s rifle was among one of the most durable rifles of the era – and thus it’s easy to see how, with good care, it was still functional after 30 years.


And finally, Onoda has left a longstanding legacy on the Island of Lubang, and although he committed many crimes on the residents and local police he is still highly respected on the island. Many hold him responsible for the still pristine jungle on the island – as many people were too afraid of him to venture in to cut trees or harvest rare plants. Because of this there is a series of paths through the jungle dedicated to him, and remains one of the islands biggest tourist attractions.