Japan’s last WW2 soldier to surrenderUp nextEgypt and the ‘Cairo 52’ The friendship train: Connecting India and Bangladesh Major Charity Adams and the Six-Triple-Eight South Africa's referendum on apartheid Soweto uprising: Children who marched against apartheid Oliver Tambo returns to South Africa from exile Sarah Baartman's 200-year journey back home Finding the victims of Stroessner's Paraguay How the Milgram 'obedience' experiment shocked the world Ukraine's 'museum of corruption' The pioneering eye surgery that led to Lasik How nuclear testing changed politics in French Polynesia How a Brazilian flip-flop took over the world Imelda Marcos's famous shoe collection Hiroo Onoda was an Imperial Japanese Army intelligence officer who spent nearly 30 years in the Philippine jungle, believing World War Two was still going on. Using his training in guerilla warfare, he attacked and killed people living on Lubang Island, mistakenly believing them to be enemy soldiers. He was finally persuaded to surrender in 1974 when his former commander, Yoshimi Taniguchi, found him and gave him an order. In a televised ceremony, Hiroo presented his sword to the then Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos. President Marcos returned the sword and gave him a full presidential pardon and told him he admired his courage. Hiroo died in January 2014 at the age of 91. This programme was produced and presented by Vicky Farncombe, using BBC archive. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. (Photo: Hiroo Onoda steps out of the jungle. Credit: Getty Images) Programme website Today's print edition Home Delivery arguably the swankiest residential neighborhood in central Tokyo Just one stop from Ebisu Station on the Hibiya Line Hiroo is an enclave on the border of Shibuya and Minato wards known for its international consulates and chic expat lifestyle But is everything as effortless and glamorous as it seems Try this itinerary to see if Hiroo lives up to its reputation The perfect day in Hiroo starts with freshly baked bread There are few neighborhoods in Japan that do bread as well as Hiroo does to the point where you can catch an alluring whiff of baked goods on certain streets: sweet and dry all flax and rye and powdered sugar.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Boulangerie Burdigala specializes in southwestern French goods, with impeccable cream puffs piled up like Mount Fuji. Truffle Bakery serves white truffle salt bread and hearty egg salad sandwiches, and intimate Brod has Scandinavian loaves with nuts and seeds that offer a slice of Nordic coziness In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division. Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb Filmmaker Karan Johar has never once shied away from expressing his love and adoration towards his mother Hiroo Johar and his kids Yash and Ruhi He often takes to his official social media handles to post photos and videos with them of them and pen heartfelt and touching notes Johar shared two adorable old photos with his mother and also wrote a cute note Karan expressed his gratitude towards the universe for giving him the privilege to be born to her “My mom turns 82 today… I only have gratitude in my heart to the universe for giving me the privilege of being born to her… She grounds me everyday (“they gave you an award ?? Why ??”) she centres me (“be grateful… it could go away some day”) She reprimands me chapter 1 (“what are you wearing Karan ???”) she reprimands me chapter 2 (“you are always on the phone!!!!”) BUT she is my world my galaxy and my big love story with and of life SEE ALSO: Karan Johar Rubbishes Criticism Of Ibrahim Ali Khan & Khushi Kapoor's Nadaaniyan Performance: 'Logon Ka Kaam…' Bollywood celebrities and netizens rushed to the comment section to shower her with birthday wishes While fans flooded the comments with red heart emojis “Happy happy birthday Heeru aunty.” Namrata Shirodkar commented “happy birthday hiroo aunty stay blessed always loads of love and endless blessings.” Other celebrities like Karisma Kapoor Karan Johar is currently gearing for the release of Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor starrer Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari He also has Kartik Aaryan starrer Tu Meri Main Tera and Triptii Dimri-Siddhanth Chaturvedi starrer Dhadak 2 His last directorial was Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh starrer Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani SEE ALSO: Kartik Aaryan And Karan Johar Hilariously Take A Dig At Each Other: 'Khans, Kapoors Are Still OG…' Mizuho Bank officials said Thursday that the total amount of cash stolen by a former employee from clients' safe deposit boxes was ¥66 million ($440,733) stole the money from the safe deposit boxes of two clients at the bank's Hiroo branch in Tokyo between January 2016 and June 2019 according to the bank.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); She was arrested in 2021 for allegedly stealing some ¥52 million — under the guise of bank loans — from the branch where she worked as a customer service staff member "We're sorry for causing concern to our clients." This is the first time that a senior official of the bank has spoken to reporters and apologized over the scandal The former employee bought clothes and went on trips using the money stolen from the safe deposit boxes The bank has already compensated clients who were affected by her actions Mizuho Bank found out that the former employee had been stealing from clients during a probe into the theft she committed at the Hiroo branch The bank said that it did not disclose the theft involving the safe deposit boxes at first because its clients had requested that the matter be kept private The bank has taken disciplinary action against executives whose oversight allowed the crime to take place Mizuho Bank has not found any other similar cases of theft a string of thefts from safe deposit boxes were discovered at MUFG Bank A former employee was arrested last month over the thefts Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division has left fans tensed as she is facing some health problems Viral Bhayani shared a video of Karan and designer Manish Malhotra visiting Hiroo at the hospital Bhayani revealed: “Karan Johar and his best friend Manish Malhotra were seen at Ambani Hospital visiting Hiroo Johar the text on the clip read: “Karan Johar and Manish Malhotra were seen at the Ambani Hospital visiting Hiroo Johar A family member assures us there is no cause for alarm We extend our best wishes for her swift recovery!”  the 52-year-old hasn't made any statement about his mother's wellbeing yet KJo's fans poured in their reactions instantly Koffee With Karan host spoke about his unusual family dynamics while appearing on the Netflix show Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives Karan Johar remarked having a ‘modern family’ where he and his mother care for the kids Suniel Shetty offers insights into life after welcoming his granddaughter Virat Kohli celebrates Anushka's birthday with full force Bobby Deol's sons all set to follow in their father's footsteps Shoaib Akhtar’s YouTube channel also taken down amid escalating digital restrictions Salman Khan gears up for another project after 'Sikandar' setback 'Housefull 5' set to bring Sanjay Dutt and Nana Patekar together on big screen Copyright © 2025. The News International, All Rights Reserved | Contact Us | Authors Hiroo Johar, the mother of Karan Johar, has caused a wave of concern with her sudden hospitalization.  It has been indicated that her condition is rather stable and there is no need for worry. The news of Hiroo's hospitalization gained traction when the Bollywood director accompanied by his close friend and designer Manish Malhotra paid a visit to the hospital.  Although the specific reason behind her admission has not been confirmed, recent updates reveal she is out of danger.  For the unversed, the 81-year-old has been a crucial part of her son's journey, not just personally but also in his professional life.  Many times the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil director openly shared admiration for Hiroo, calling her 'superhero' for her strength and sense of humour especially during her recovery from two major surgeries back in 2021.  As Hiroo Johar continues to fight the health issues, many fans and celebrities are hopeful of her speedy recovery.  On the personal front, Karan Johar has been busy with his directorial ventures and production projects.  Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb The news of her hospitalization was first reported by paparazzo Viral Bhayani on Saturday, who revealed that designer Manish Malhotra had visited Hiroo at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital "Karan Johar and Manish Malhotra were seen at Ambani Hospital visiting Hiroo Johar A family member assures us there is no cause for alarm." Karan has often spoken about how his mother has remained resilient and humorous through her recovery and has helped him raise his kids He has since produced several films under his Dharma Productions banner 26 September is the “European Day of Languages” The “European Day of Languages” was first celebrated in 2001 as part of the “European Year of Languages” which was co-organised by the Council of Europe and the European Union (EU) the Council of Europe decided to designate 26 September as the European Day of Languages to be celebrated annually The designation aims to raise awareness of Europe’s rich linguistic and cultural diversity and to encourage people to broaden the range of languages they learn throughout their lives thereby enhancing their multilingual skills and intercultural understanding In celebration of this year’s European Day of Languages the EU Delegation has collaborated with EU Member State embassies in Japan to compile a video featuring tongue twisters in the languages of each country EU Ambassador Jean-Eric Paquet has tackled a Japanese tongue twister Mr Joe Inoue (@joeinoueofficial) a multilingual content creator with over 1.3 million Instagram followers saying some of the EU  Member States’ tongue twisters with a “Japanese-Chinese-Korean accent.” Please enjoy Joe's unique take on these tongue twisters as well Following the success of last year's inaugural event the “European Day of Languages in Hiroo Sampo Do-ri” will be held again this year to celebrate the European Day of Languages a network of EU Member States’ cultural institutions in Japan and the Hiroo Shopping Street Promotion Association in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward The three-day event will feature quizzes and presentations on European languages Visitors can take part in a stamp rally by answering quizzes from various countries while strolling through the streets participants will also have the opportunity to engage in conversations with native speakers of these languages     *The stamp rally will begin on 27 September Those who collect all 14 stamps can participate in a prize drawing held on the final day - Venue: Hiroo Shopping Street (Tokyo Metro Hiroo Station Exit 2) - Organisers: EUNIC JAPAN (Cultural Institutes of EU Member States in Japan) Hiroo Shopping Street Promotion Association https://www.hiroo.info/?p=24760 Home » Movies » Movie News » KJo pens heartwarming note for mother Hiroo on 82nd b’day: My big love story March 18 (SocialNews.XYZ) On her mother Hiroo Johar’s 82nd birthday on Tuesday her filmmaker son Karan penned a heartwarming note with a sprinkle of humour and tagged her as his “world and galaxy” where she shared two photographs.The first was a colored photograph from Karan’s younger days sharing a close embrace with his mother The second image is a black-and-white photograph from Karan’s childhood days Hiroo has a warm smile and is looking at Karan lovingly while the filmmaker is wearing a small party hat and is playfully biting his finger He wrote in the caption section: “My mom turns 82 today… I only have gratitude in my heart to the universe for giving me the privilege of being born to her … She grounds me everyday (“they gave you an award ?? Why ??) she centres me (“be grateful … it could go away some day”).” “She reprimands me chapter 1 (“what are you wearing Karan ???“) she reprimands me chapter 2 (“you are always on the phone!!!“) BUT she is my world my galaxy and my big love story with and of life love you Mama,” he added Karan gave the never-ending about “insider and outsider” conversation a dollop of humour and said that he is very “happy to be entitled” to his own thoughts “Living on a plane… What a privilege to be an outsider from the plane and an insider to the warmth of my hotel room I am so happy to be entitled to my own thoughts and cut of from WHYFI,” he wrote Karan talked about stepping into the Punjabi cinema with Gippy Grewal's much-awaited drama which will be the first Punjabi film to be released in Hindi in cinemas worldwide Gippy Grewal has not only starred in "Akaal" but has also directed and written the project He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any Though the exact reason behind her hospitalization is still unknown reports claimed she is now "stable" and there is no cause for concern He often calls her his "superhero" on social media platforms "My constant fear is that I will have to deal with questions from my children about my circumstances and the modern family situation we have." Meanwhile, his production house Dharma Productions has some exciting projects in the pipeline, including an untitled film with Akshay Kumar The movie will be released in theaters on March 14 next year AD Leave a rating/comment#PaintingBack to ArticlesSHARE According to India Today, Hiroo Johar’s health is improving, and there is no cause for concern. Paparazzo Viral Bhayani had earlier shared an update, revealing that Hiroo Johar was admitted to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital. Designer and close family friend Manish Malhotra was spotted visiting her during her stay. In his post, Bhayani wrote, “Karan Johar and Manish Malhotra were seen at the Ambani Hospital visiting Hiroo Johar, who was admitted the previous day. A family member assures us there is no cause for alarm. We extend our best wishes for her swift recovery!” (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); We’re pioneers in breaking media and entertainment news from the UK and the world. Our advertisers capitalise on a global audience of over 400,000 visitors per month to the BizAsiaLive | Media, Entertainment, Showbiz, Brit, Events and Music -website a senior arbitrator and managing partner of Advani Law LLP has joined Bharucha & Partners along with 10 members of his team to head the latter’s arbitration practice Advani & Co will shut its offices in Mumbai Such moves are becoming increasingly common at top law firms because of a rise in corporate litigation and several regulatory changes Advani has represented some of the biggest global players in oil and gas He has been involved in setting up several joint ventures and special purpose vehicles in high-stake project disputes Also read: Hotshot lawyers are switching jobs, taking entire teams with them He has also been lead counsel in cases of institutional arbitration at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre the London Court of International Arbitration and the SCC Arbitration Institute in Sweden managing partner at Bharucha & Partners The firm's current partners include MP Bharucha he was lead counsel in the Group of Companies Doctrine case in which a Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court ruled that non-signatories to an arbitration clause were subject to arbitration proceedings “B&P has consistently showcased remarkable expertise across practice areas especially in arbitration… I believe we will set new benchmarks in arbitration.” Justin Bharucha said “Hiroo’s unmatched experience in arbitration and as an arbitrator adds to MP’s vast experience and Sneha’s leadership.” Bharucha & Partners has a total of 160 lawyers On 31 July Mint reported that senior corporate lawyers heading mergers and acquisitions disputes and competition law at various firms were being snapped up by rivals at a rapid pace leading to a poaching war among firms such as Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas Often the movers bring their entire teams with them as most clients are loyal to individual lawyers or teams that handle their cases Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas announced on 29 July that Manan Lahoty was joining the firm with a team of eight partners and 43 advocates Also read: Why everyone should think like a lawyer who headed the competition practice at Trilegal who looks at complex areas such as merger control brought two partners and 25 attorneys with her Khaitan & Co roped in Avik Biswas and Vaibhav Bhardwaj along with their teams from IndusLaw to head their employment Biswas joined as a partner in Bengaluru while Bhardwaj joined as a partner based in Noida Also read: India's economic boom fuels a rush for law grads. But many are still left out. Catch all the Industry News, Banking News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates Download the Mint app and read premium stories Log in to our website to save your bookmarks Filmmaker Karan Johar's mother has reportedly been admitted to the Ambani Hospital in Mumbai paparazzo Viral Bhayani shared a video of Karan and fashion designer Manish Malhotra visiting the hospital “Karan Johar and his best friend Manish Malhotra were seen at Ambani Hospital visiting Hiroo Johar Wishing her speedy recovery,” Bhayani captioned the post which showed their cars entering the hospital premises The video also included text that read, “Karan Johar and Manish Malhotra were seen at the Ambani Hospital visiting Hiroo Johar We extend our best wishes for her swift recovery!” As of now, Karan Johar has not released an official statement regarding his mother’s health in an episode of the Netflix series Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives Karan had spoken about his ‘modern family,’ where he and his mother co-parent his children Renowned filmmaker Karan Johar took to social media to shower love on his mother, Hiroo Johar who shares an incredibly close bond with his mother expressed his gratitude and affection in a heartfelt post one from his childhood and another from his younger days In his touching message, Karan described Hiroo Johar as the center of his universe and the strongest pillar in his life He highlighted how she keeps him grounded with her honest and humorous remarks from questioning his fashion choices to reminding him to be grateful for his success Calling her his “galaxy” and “big love story with and of life,” Karan’s words reflected the deep admiration he holds for his mother The post quickly caught the attention of his industry friends and well-wishers. Many celebrities flooded the comments section with birthday wishes for Hiroo Johar celebrating the special day along with Karan and his family Karan Johar has always been vocal about the significant role his mother has played in his life. From guiding him through personal and professional challenges to being his strongest supporter, Hiroo Johar has been an unwavering force behind his success He has often spoken about her influence on his journey and how she remains his biggest source of strength Apart from celebrating his mother’s birthday, Karan Johar has also been in the news for his impressive physical transformation His dramatic weight loss has been a topic of discussion on social media Addressing the curiosity around his fitness journey at the IIFA Digital Awards Karan emphasized the importance of a healthy lifestyle saying he wouldn’t reveal his secret just yet On the professional front, Karan Johar is expanding his horizons into Punjabi cinema with his upcoming film Akaal a collaboration between Dharma Productions and Gippy Grewal’s Humble Motion Pictures This marks a significant milestone as Akaal will be the first Punjabi film to receive a Hindi theatrical release worldwide Karan is working on another exciting project Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report With junior high school entrance exam season under way in Tokyo students may soon have more exciting opportunities waiting for them at their prospective schools Junior high and high schools in Japan are increasingly supporting students aiming to study abroad through partnerships with overseas universities and international programs Despite the weak yen and financial challenges interest in global education continues to rise Schools are responding by exploring partnerships with affordable universities in Asia and offering options such as a dual diploma program a representative from an Italian university visited us it was someone from Spain,” said Akihiro Ozawa head of overseas university admissions at Hiroo Gakuen Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo “We’re now receiving inquiries from various countries saw a total of 206 graduates from the class of 2023 academic year accepted at overseas universities The school hosted an overseas university fair in September last year which welcomed representatives from around 130 universities worldwide The event attracted roughly 2,000 students including not only those from Hiroo Gakuen but also from international schools across the Tokyo metropolitan area About 20 Japanese universities seeking students with a strong English proficiency also participated; Waseda “Many students are looking to broaden their international perspective as they prepare for their future careers,” Ozawa said they are considering universities in Canada Schools with a high number of students progressing to overseas universities in the Tokyo metropolitan area include Shibuya Education Academy Makuhari Junior and Senior High School in Chiba Prefecture and its sister school in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward and Meikei High School in Ibaraki Prefecture also see many of their students attend universities abroad institutions with this distinction include AICJ Junior and Senior High School in Hiroshima Prefecture and Rakunan Junior and Senior High School in Kyoto Prefecture Some schools are expanding on their overseas university partnerships and offering support for students aiming to study abroad Morimura Gakuen Junior and Senior High School in Yokohama partnered with Taylor’s University in Malaysia in the 2022 academic year Tuition and living costs are comparatively low in Malaysia and students at the university also have the opportunity to earn degrees or transfer to institutions in the United States The school actively engages in international exchanges offering programs such as study trips to Singapore and Taiwan along with classes in Mongolian and Portuguese It has a dual diploma program that enables students to obtain a high school diploma from the United States through two years of online study The school said that its students have pursued studies not only in Malaysia but also at a university in Dubai and a medical school in the Czech Republic Jumonji Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo which is gaining popularity in this year’s junior high school entrance exams partnered with Taiwan’s Shih Chien University and a local girls' high school Students can participate in local programs during summer vacation and gain a recommendation for admission to Shih Chien University Massey University in New Zealand partnered with a number of schools last June new connections were forged with Showa Women’s University Junior-Senior High School; Koen Girls Junior and Senior High School; and Jissen Joshi Gakuen Junior and Senior High School the university formed partnerships with Osaka Jogakuin Senior and Junior High School and a junior-senior high school in Kawasaki that is affiliated with Japan Women's University Students who meet the language proficiency and academic requirements can receive designated school recommendations for admission to the university principal of Showa Women’s University Junior and Senior High School “We offer a one-year study abroad program in Canada and some students choose to remain there and continue on to local universities.” “We are also launching a three-month study abroad program in Boston (in the United States),” she said “We are enhancing support for improving language proficiency and essay writing to assist students aiming for admission to overseas universities while also actively building partnerships with other international universities.” Yakumo Academy Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo joined the UPAA a program that allows high school students from participating schools to gain admission to partner overseas universities through a recommendation system Students can improve their language proficiency scores through e-learning and meeting academic requirements grants them eligibility to apply to 55 universities across nine countries the number of students from the school accepted to overseas universities increased to 20 The prestigious girls' school Toshimagaoka-Joshigakuen Junior and Senior High School in Tokyo has offered weekly all-English lessons after school for the past three years These lessons for its junior high school students are intended to help them develop the ability to succeed on the global stage the school has also made essay-writing courses and other programs aimed at preparing for admission to overseas universities available to junior high school students The school also introduced a new system utilizing Eiken English proficiency test results from this year’s entrance exam “The number of students considering overseas universities is increasing and interest in seminars about studying abroad is also growing,” said a representative from the school admissions PR team While schools continue enhancing their study abroad support they are also starting to expand education for students coming to Japan An elementary school attached to Kumamoto University's Faculty of Education is breaking new ground The elementary school intends to introduce an English immersion program called the “international class” in the 2027 academic year; this would make it the first national elementary school to do so The program will also welcome children of foreign nationalities I feel the barriers between Japan and the rest of the world have been rapidly coming down,” said Ri Yasuda head of the Yasuda Education Research Institute who is well-versed in private junior high and high school education there is a growing interest among parents in sending their children to universities abroad not just in Europe and United States but in other regions as well,” he said as several British boarding schools have established campuses in Japan are increasingly seeking talented students regardless of nationality,” he added “We are entering an era where students can pursue their chosen paths without being limited by national borders.” studying abroad comes with significant costs “We are now in a time where we must nurture the next generation with a global perspective,” said Akio Kondo the principal of Yakumo Academy Junior and Senior High School “The government should promptly increase its education budget and expand scholarship programs so that children from ordinary families can pursue opportunities abroad,” he said University in Osaka plans to start school year in the autumn New program at University of Tokyo to tackle global problems Weakening yen costing Japanese students chance to study abroad Online university enrolling up to 5,000 students will start in 2025 Government sets goal of 100,000 students going abroad by 2027 Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages Copyright © The Asahi Shimbun Company. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission. festival Sightseeing and excursions Hiroo Town Summary citation element： 広尾町 The content may change without prior notice. Please be sure to check the organizer's official website for the latest information on the event. Seasonal “news” of Hokkaido can be checked by category! You can check the information of your “town” in one place! Events” held throughout the province are easy to find and can be saved! This page has been automatically translated by Google Translate service. Aidan O'Shea leaves the pitch after Mayo's victory in the Connacht Senior Football Championship quarter-final against Sligo at Hastings Insurance MacHale Park in Castlebar last Sunday. The full-forward scored a goal and two points in a man of the match display. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile Colm Reape stood over the kick-out with a kind of theatrical stillness. His restarts had been a source of unease all afternoon, and now he faced the most pressurised of them all. The kick was only ever going to be sent in the direction of one man. Aidan O’Shea, who had spent the afternoon grafting with that inexplicable blend of chaos and control, had wandered into the middle third, as if sensing the story would pass through him once more. Sligo bodies were swarming, sniffing a first championship win over Mayo in MacHale Park since 1975. But as the ball arced out towards the stand side, it was clear the big moment was falling to Mayo’s biggest man. O’Shea rose and gathered it cleanly, and for a brief moment it felt like he could’ve even floated away with it as if it was filled with helium. But he eventually came down, securing both possession and Mayo’s pathway into the Connacht semi-final. For long stretches, this was a Mayo performance stitched together with frayed thread. The fundamentals were all there – the running power, the clear physical edge, the sense that a burst of scores was imminent – but the execution was absent. From the opening moments, when Ryan O’Donoghue’s free dropped limply into the hands of Sligo goalkeeper Daniel Lyons, something felt slightly off-kilter. The first score of the game went to David Quinn, and Sligo only grew more comfortable from there. Mayo, of course, had their moments. O’Donoghue’s first-half goal was taken with menace, the Belmullet man bouncing off Eddie McGuinness before drilling a low shot past Daniel Lyons. Jack Carney had a half-chance for a second but his effort was well saved. And yet, every time Mayo looked ready to pull clear, they faltered. Sligo, meanwhile, gradually began to play with belief. From the 27th minute to the half-time whistle, they outscored Mayo five points to two. Alan McLoughlin even appeared to be considering going for goal for a split second after slicing through the Mayo defence, before opting to tap it over. And when Niall Murphy curled over his fourth point just before the break, Sligo had closed the gap to three. The half-time whistle had come at the wrong time for the visitors. Through it all, O’Shea worked away in that indefinable role he has made his own. Drifting, absorbing, directing. As others flitted in and out, he remained fixed to the contest, like a hinge on which the entire afternoon swung. The second-half began with Mayo hinting at a surge. O’Shea’s goal arrived early. He nonchalantly took the scenic route around the goalkeeper, slowed himself, and placed the ball in the net with the ease of a man popping into his local for a pint. It felt like a catalyst for Mayo to push clear. But Sligo refused to wilt. Just minutes later, they landed a goal of their own. Pat Spillane fisted a clever ball across the square and Luke Towey, ghosting into the goalmouth, palmed it into the net. The response was immediate, sharp, and served notice that this game wasn’t done. Tension lingered. There were still chances to kill the contest, but Mayo couldn't convert. And when Cian Lally tore through the middle of the Mayo defence on two occasions, MacHale Park stood still. The first time, he lashed the ball over when the net beckoned. The second time, he made no mistake, slicing through and hammering it in. Sligo’s belief rose once more. As the exchanges grew more frantic, O’Shea’s role became more pronounced. In addition to his goal, he scored three points from play and had a crucial hand to play in several more. When Mayo needed control, he slowed it down. When they needed a foothold, he found it. He was less a forward and more a travelling blacksmith, fixing what needed fixing as he went. There were solid performances elsewhere, too. Darren McHale looked sharp, drifting cleverly into space and tagging on four points from play in one of his best outings in a Mayo jersey. Jack Carney battled well, particularly when positioned closer to goal, while Dylan Thornton remedied the side’s league final woes by always offering Reape with a solid option from kick-outs. But by any measure, O’Shea was the standout performer. The Breaffy man has heard it all by now – the speculation about whether this might be his last summer, the suggestion that his role should be reduced to cameo appearances off the bench, the whispers that his best days are behind him. But none of that mattered here. When Mayo needed composure, power, presence, it was O’Shea who gave it to them. He scored a goal, won vital possession, and imposed himself across the pitch with the quiet authority of someone who no longer feels the need to prove anything, but ends up doing it anyway. Mayo are still a team in progress. There are flaws to fix and bigger days ahead. But whatever version of themselves they’re building towards, O’Shea will remain central to it. Not a fading veteran. Not a luxury option. Just the anchor they need when they can’t find their footing. In 1974, nearly three decades after the end of World War II, a Japanese soldier named Hiroo Onoda finally laid down his rifle. For years, he had lived in the jungles of the Philippines, convinced that the war was still going on. Efforts to bring him home had failed – he simply didn’t believe the fight was over. It was only when his former commanding officer was flown in to relieve him of duty that Onoda finally emerged from the trees. But you just know that it will take more than a commanding officer for O’Shea to stand down. Every summer, like clockwork, Mayo’s own Hiroo Onoda steps back into the cauldron of championship football – and Mayo breathes a little easier. Long may it last. Western news delivered directly to your inbox Hiroo Nagahara is the culinary mastermind behind Nomica and The Chairman His adventures with food began at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo learning about fish at his father’s fish business and selecting seafood at the market with his mother Hiroo’s knowledge of fish and preparation techniques were on par with many experienced chefs Hiroo worked at both a Japanese and a fine dining restaurant rising quickly and drawing the attention of the Charlie Trotter organization He was recruited to help launch their new restaurant Bar Charlie in Las Vegas as the Chef de Cuisine he garnered the respect of renowned chefs and critics in Las Vegas and won a Michelin 1 Star Award Read more. Hiroo moved with his team to San Francisco joining forces with Mobi Munch to launch The Chairman a mobile food truck where Hiroo blurred the lines between fine-dining and street food The truck was named one of America’s Top 5 Asian Food Trucks in America by Details Magazine as well as Most Mouth-Watering Food Trucks by Maxim He followed this venture with the launch of Nomica a modern Japanese restaurant serving refined rustic cuisine alongside an innovative cocktail program in the heart of the Castro District he was also invited to compete on Iron Chef Showdown a restaurant in Los Angeles’ Arts District Believing that we are all driven by our feelings and emotions when it comes to food Hiro featured a variety of unique flavor combinations with the aim of triggering nostalgic memories Nagahara presented a series of guided kaiseki dinner pop-ups, DEFINING MODERN KAISEKI with Chef Hiroo Nagahara at JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles from November 2 and December 17 Hiroo shares his culinary work and thoughts on kaiseki then click on the YouTube icon on the lower right-hand corner View All Articles Back To Top We use cookies to optimize site functionality and give you the best possible experience By clicking 'Accept All Cookies' you agree to the storing of cookies on your device we will only use those cookies necessary for the performance of the website We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below The cookies that are categorised as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site We also use third-party cookies that help us analyse how you use this website and provide the content and advertisements that are relevant to you These cookies will only be stored in your browser with your prior consent You can choose to enable or disable some or all of these cookies but disabling some of them may affect your browsing experience Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customised advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyse the effectiveness of the ad campaigns HistoryNet Emelio Viaña went out to farm sweet potatoes with his two sons at their farm near Yapusan on the western side of Lubang Island in the Philippines Emelio sat down for a lunch break and was drinking a cup of coffee The first bullet shattered Emelio’s upper thigh Another shot struck his young son Diony in the leg The two boys frantically dragged their father into the shelter of nearby aroma bushes—the large hard thorns were piercing and painful His sons barely managed to drag him away as fast as they could to their small boat and row him to a small fishing port at Tubahin Still in mortal fear of being shot at as they paddled away they watched helplessly as their father bled to death in front of their eyes By the time they reached safety it was too late Amid all the horror there was one sight that Protacio would never forget While hiding in the thorny bushes he had seen his father’s murderer stalking them The murder of Emelio Viaña was one in a series of killings that plagued Lubang Island for decades from the end of World War II until the 1970s All the victims were islanders going about their daily lives who were targeted and assaulted at moments when they were isolated and vulnerable Their grieving family members have never forgotten them and their deaths tore wounds in their close-knit community which are still unhealed.  Yet these victims have been forgotten in the world’s collective memory the man responsible for these grisly crimes—which he would later refer to euphemistically as “guerrilla warfare”—became something of a celebrity he materialized from the wilderness of Lubang Island in 1974 still dressed in his Imperial Japanese Army uniform and formally surrendered He claimed not to have known that the war had ended—a claim he reinforced with his 1974 autobiography in which he also claimed to have been conducting a so-called “guerrilla war” on Lubang Island without admitting to the details of what that meant he died in 2014 and has passed into legend frequently cast into the role of a “lone samurai” type of character His story has received renewed attention in recent years—such as in Arthur Harari’s 2021 film and a fictionalized 2022 novel about him penned by eminent German filmmaker Werner Herzog in the shadows of Onoda’s dazzling fame stands a host of his silent victims waiting to be noticed The violence against local people that Onoda barely admitted to in his autobiography has so far done nothing to dim his glamor in popular imagination The murders committed by Onoda and fellow Japanese stragglers under his leadership on Lubang Island have largely been forgotten and ignored “He committed acts of terror against these people for 30 years No one has ever asked for their side of the story,” independent documentary filmmaker Mia Stewart told MHQ in an exclusive interview With a personal connection to Lubang Island and a dedication to historical research that has seen her gathering testimony from islanders and investigating Onoda for more than 10 years she seeks to ensure that the voices of Onoda’s victims are finally heard in her documentary The documentary is in its final stages of production.  “The thing I want to bring out in my documentary is the resilience of the island and the Filipino people as a whole,” said Mia “That’s something that I want to highlight.”  Onoda claimed to have been a soldier continuing to fight a war Yet the people he attacked in cold blood were civilians It begs the question: was he a soldier…or a serial killer?  Mia’s journey to create the documentary began in high school her mother was raised on Lubang Island and one day mentioned Onoda when Mia was doing research for a school project Mia located his autobiography at a local library and discussed her findings with her mother ‘That’s interesting that he’s written all this stuff but he doesn’t actually mention the shootings.’ I asked That was when Mia learned about the murder of her great-uncle Emelio Viaña for the first time—and she soon found out there were even more victims While their surviving relatives vividly remembered their murders the victims and their deaths were omitted from Onoda’s autobiography ‘There are all these killings missing from the book I want to find out about that side of the story.’ That’s how the documentary started.”  located about 90 miles southwest of Manila is tranquil and beautiful—not the type of place one would expect to find death prowling in the shadows Its beaches are serene and its mountains majestic Local residents earn their livelihoods from farming and fishing a small fishing village on the southwestern tip of the island “The men worked hard on the farms to send their children to Manila to further their education in order to support their families,” she said the community is centered around church and family Street parties and fiestas celebrate certain Catholic saints or feast days The children there still walk to school and neighbors don’t feel the need to lock their doors make up a large portion of the population in Looc—and everyone knows everyone So a death in the community feels like a death in the family,” she said.  Murder stalked the island beginning in the 1950s Onoda had made himself the de facto leader of a group of three other Japanese stragglers: Pvt later disparaged by Onoda in his book as a “weakling,” surrendered in 1950 being shot in 1954 when the group was engaged in depredations the pair were responsible for the murder of Emelio Viaña in 1961 and spent over a decade butchering local inhabitants of Lubang “The 18 years that Kozuka and I spent together were the ones in which I was most actively engaged in guerrilla tactics,” Onoda states ambiguously in his autobiography euphemistically referring to violence against civilians as guerrilla warfare as he usually did “This was due to a large extent to the rapport that existed between us and frequently we needed only to look at each other to decide what we would do next.” Onoda claimed to be the brains of the pair stating that Kozuka “deferred to me in matters of judgment.” Kozuka was ultimately shot by police in 1972 leaving only Onoda who decided to come out of hiding a mere two years later Onoda manages to sanitize any sense of criminal behavior from his narrative Although his book gives the impression that he was fighting some type of war against some opposing enemy force The people Onoda targeted were local residents he ambushed when they were working or doing ordinary activities in the company of their children or grandchildren Many were violently slaughtered with knives Residents lucky enough to survive their wounds after being shot at were often left crippled and rendered unable to perform manual labor to provide for their families If Onoda and his partner were really fighting a “war,” it seems to have been a war on innocent civilians.  “Quite a few people [I’ve interviewed] have talked about the killings My documentary focuses on the killings that happened on the south of the island where my mother is from,” said Mia “I have at least six official death certificates based on police reports which prove that Onoda actually killed these people due to the manner of their injuries.”  The island was deceptively quiet and peaceful at intervals before something horrible and bloody would happen The murders were unpredictable but occurred regularly the Japanese holdouts also sneaked into people’s huts and even the local school to steal items like pots and pans and they had no recourse from predators who continuously victimized them They couldn’t harvest without the fear of being attacked Children couldn’t go play out at a certain time,” Mia said “The value of their land and farmland was essentially reduced—they weren’t able to be as productive on their farms without the threat of someone being killed They were taking their lives into their own hands whenever they ventured out.”  Mia’s research has found that a series of particularly twisted killings occurred during the time frame when Onoda and Kozuka were together as partners One example was the murder of Ayong Tagle in 1964 His daughter Estelita was in grade school at the time he went to a field just outside the village to harvest rice not far from home—the field was only 2 kilometers from the town center Ayong lay down to sleep in a small hut beside the field Onoda and his partner Kozuka had arrived with homicidal intentions his body was found in the middle of where they had been plowing—in an open circle area—and he had been decapitated,” said Mia was brought back into the village with some difficulty “It was hard to get to him because the fields were all in flames,” Mia said The townspeople were horrified by the shock of the grisly murder in such immediate proximity to their homes as well as by the sight of their neighbor’s bloodied corpse All the young kids witnessed that,” said Mia Ayong’s horrifying death came as a devastating blow to his daughter Estelita Yet more hardship was in store for the family “It was very hard for the children because they lost their father and their mother really wasn’t able to do much physical labor to help provide for them It kept them in a certain state of poverty,” said Mia “Obviously it affected the whole trajectory of their lives.”  While Onoda was feted in popular legend over the years as some type of modern samurai warrior not a single person ever asked Estelita to speak publicly about what had happened to her father until Mia interviewed her several years ago this is the first time I’ve ever told this story…and whenever I hear the name Onoda Another child who spent a lifetime grieving for his murdered father was Bernardo Canals Bernardo was asleep one early morning when a neighbor woke him yelling that Bernardo’s father Rafael had been shot by the Japanese and telling the boy to hurry and go to him Bernardo frantically jumped onto a horse and rode down unpaved paths to the part of the island where his father had been working Instead he ran straight into other locals carrying his father’s lifeless body down the road He was still very hurt by what happened,” Mia said he was the eldest son and then had to provide for his family he then had to look after siblings and then couldn’t pursue his own dreams.”  The murder was detailed in a police report—as was that of Francisco Villar gave an interview to Mia in which she recalled the day vividly The women of the village went to a nearby river to wash clothes they always went in a large group for safety One day gunshots rang out nearby and a boy came screaming into their midst telling them to run and that the Japanese had shot his grandfather “When local police returned to the location they found the young boy’s grandfather shot who obtained Villar’s death certificate.  None of these deaths appear in Onoda’s autobiography which seems to overdo itself in trying to impress upon readers his supposed military goals that the book cannot hide is the contemptuous attitude Onoda had towards Filipino civilians His references to them are terse and cynical His description of how he identified Norio Suzuki a young explorer who ultimately secured his agreement to surrender “If he [Suzuki] had not been wearing socks I might have shot him…The islanders would never do anything so incongruous The ones who could afford to wear socks would have had shoes on too,” Onoda expressed with disdain This offhand remark indicates that Onoda was not only well-aware of the poverty of local residents but would have been willing to shoot an islander merely at the sight of their sandals there was no investigation into his actions on the island He received what amounted to an unconditional pardon by Philippines’ President Ferdinand Marcos said that he admired the latter’s courage and welcomed him to stay in the Philippines The families of victims on Lubang Island—and indeed the ghastly experiences of the islanders for three decades—had been ignored “The local authorities had to hold people back the locals had gotten wind of what was going to happen and people basically wanted to attack Onoda and kill him,” Mia said.  Bernardo Canals was one of many people who felt they had been denied justice He and other islanders welcomed the opportunity to share their stories with Mia in the hopes of getting wider recognition for Onoda’s victims and surviving relatives Bernardo passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic Many of the other witnesses to events on the island and relatives of victims have also passed away due to their advanced age “That’s one of the most important things for me—80% of the people I’ve interviewed have all passed away since I started filming and doing these interviews,” Mia said “A lot of these interviews are the very first—and last—times that they are able to tell these stories.”  one person who Mia managed to get to agree to being interviewed was Onoda himself who had previously refused to speak with her for five years; but he passed away at age 91 on Jan 2014 before the interview could take place “I was in Japan the day he died,” said Mia who had arranged to meet Onoda at the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo “I couldn’t interview my main subject anymore He had died and that changed the whole thing.”  of the souls of war dead who died for Japan’s emperor the souls of the dead become deities called kami The shrine currently includes war criminals among honored deities regularly making it a focus of international political controversy Mia traveled to the shrine for his memorial service.  “Four months earlier I had just been filming on the island and was interviewing relatives and people from the island who were talking about how difficult life was for them how Onoda basically ruined their lives,” she said “To be attending his memorial afterwards felt really odd.”  Mia was determined to gain a better understanding of this man who had taken so many lives.  “I was trying to be as respectful as possible to the process itself But it was very strange to be at the shrine There were a lot of people attending,” said Mia “I shook her hand and I was introduced to her She’s from Lubang Island.’ She acknowledged my presence.” Although she would have liked to have interviewed Onoda personally Mia was glad to be able to witness his history from a different perspective “It all happened not the way I intended or planned But I’m thankful I was able to be a part of that.”  The Japanese people she has interacted with throughout her research for the documentary have been very accommodating “I got to meet and become quite close to people who Onoda was close with in his life after Lubang Island It’s almost like he was a different person to them,” she said I got to know people who worked really closely with him For me that provided an unexpected complexity to my documentary.”  Mia visited the Onoda Nature School in Japan a wilderness survival school for youth he founded in the 1980s They told me about what Onoda was like when he came back,” said Mia She did broach the topic of the murders on Lubang Island but her gracious hosts were unaware of the details of what had happened “It was a mystery to them as well,” she said “A lot of them didn’t even really know the full extent of the killings They knew that Onoda had thought it was still wartime and was probably responsible for something I think it will probably shock a few of them when they see my documentary to find out about how brutal some of the killings were.”  However not all Japanese are fans of Onoda Mia uncovered some startling revelations from interviewing the sons of Tsuda Shin the ghostwriter who helped write Onoda’s autobiography Tsuda Shin felt guilty during his lifetime about the role he played in writing Onoda’s memoir He published a book of his own detailing how Onoda’s famed autobiography was less of a candid testimonial than a carefully crafted document shaped by Onoda and a group of Japanese publishing professionals gathered at a nature resort Mia understands why Onoda’s survival story has been spellbinding to many people she was intrigued by his tale when she first heard about him “He basically went in when he was 22 and he came out when he was 54 It was this idea of a soldier trapped in time Yet after traveling to Lubang and collecting interviews from local residents as well as from her relatives That happened very quickly as soon as I was at the island and able to see firsthand the anger that came out of people,” she said but these people lost their lives.’”  The true details of Onoda’s stay on the island have been lost within mythology Mia says that many people perceive Onoda as a “lone survivor” and do not realize that he was with Kozuka for more than 20 years I can understand that there is an appeal to the story because you can have this romanticized view of a soldier and lone survivor surviving on coconuts living in the jungles in this isolated place But Onoda was actually not alone,” she said “Then there’s also this myth that he was heroic He killed people and he was actually a murderer.” As to whether—or when—Onoda really knew the war was over Another overlooked fact is that Onoda admitted to having looted a transistor radio in 1965 without wanting to portray Onoda as a victim himself want to comment on the way the Imperial Army trained their soldiers to never surrender and think a certain way There are others who say that Onoda was trained to look at things differently as an intelligence officer Then on the other hand you have people who say if he was trained as an intelligence officer then why couldn’t he work out that the war was over?’” Onoda’s knowledge of when the war ended is something that Mia cannot definitively prove and something she says people can form their own opinions about she wants to draw attention to the cold-blooded murders of unarmed Filipino islanders which cannot be characterized as acts of war by any stretch of the imagination what courage!’ No one ever really stops to think what the consequence of his ‘war’ actually meant,” she said Today a shrine stands on the spot where Kinshichi Kozuka died after being shot by Filipino police during one of the duo’s violent raids on the local community Nevertheless its memorialization of Kozuka’s death is inescapable What about the murder victims—the people whose ancestors had lived and worked on the island for generations who were simply going about their daily lives when they were brutally killed in front of their children and neighbors “No,” answered Mia sadly when asked this question adding that a memorial for the victims has been a main goal of hers that she has been unable to realize yet She intends for the documentary and translated book to serve as lasting tributes to the victims “But it would be great to have a physical place on the island.”  The documentary is in its final stages of production but Mia has been struggling to pull together enough funding to complete it Although local people from Lubang are “excited to have their story told,” it has been challenging to get people capable of sponsoring it interested in doing so “My family is constantly asking me when it’s going to be finished But I haven’t been able to get it over the line yet,” she said “It’s just a matter of getting enough funding together That’s been one of my biggest challenges.” One fiscal sponsor for Mia’s documentary is the From the Heart Foundation. “People can make 100% tax deductible donations through that That’s the main sponsor at the moment.”  The reasons for Onoda’s popularity might lie with the way that Onoda and people close to events chose to present the story “He said he didn’t know the war was over and he represented this relic to a time in Japan that people were maybe feeling nostalgic towards and strengthened some sense of national pride or identity I think that whole narrative really served his agenda and also relations between the Philippines and Japan as well because essentially Ferdinand Marcos forgave Onoda and pardoned him for his crimes He was never put on trial for what he did.” Mia wants people to question Onoda’s legend “The main thing for me is getting this story out there as much as possible so that when people come across Onoda and Google him they will immediately also see the other side of the story.” To learn more about and support Mia’s work on the documentary, visit https://searchingforonodadoc.wedid.it/. To learn more about her accompanying book translation project, visit the project website here   Zita is the editor of both Military History Quarterly and Vietnam Magazine She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in military history She received an award from the National Federation of Press Women in 2022 for her editing work on Vietnam Magazine She has written numerous military history books articles and book reviews and is also an award-winning author Her book “Bernard Montgomery’s Art of War” won a Silver Medal from the Military Writers Society of America She is fluent in German and is a member of the U.K Her areas of interest include the Vietnam War and World Wars I and II Whether they produced battlefield images of the dead or daguerreotype portraits of common soldiers In 1964 an Ohio woman took up the challenge that had led to Amelia Earhart’s disappearance how Wild Bill Donovan shaped the American intelligence community During the 1835–42 Second Seminole War and as Army scouts out West these warriors from the South proved formidable “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times History is who we are and why we are the way we are.” HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the world’s largest publisher of history magazines photo galleries and over 25,000 articles originally published in our nine magazines Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians sign me up! Mumbai: On her mother Hiroo Johar’s 82nd birthday on Tuesday Karan took to Instagram, where she shared two photographs.The first was a colored photograph from Karan’s younger days sharing a close embrace with his mother. Karan is dressed in a blue jacket Karan talked about stepping into the Punjabi cinema with Gippy Grewal’s much-awaited drama Gippy Grewal has not only starred in “Akaal” but has also directed and written the project. The film will also see Nimrat Khaira, Apinderdeep Singh, Mita Vashisht, Prince Kanwaljit Singh, Nikitin Dheer, Gurpreet Ghuggi, Shinda Grewal, Ekom Grewal, and Jaggi Singh in prominent roles. Bollywood multi-hyphenate Karan Johar shared a couple of photos from his family's Diwali celebrations. The photos feature his mother Hiroo Johar and twins Yash and Roohi in Indian ethnic wear. Karan Johar wrote in the caption, “From us to you … we wish you the best festive season and all the love , joy , mutual respect , and the ability to love and live your life to its fullest… thank you @manishmalhotra05 for always dressing us on special occasions … styled by @ekalakhani”. © Copyright 2025 Onmanorama. All rights reserved. has joined Bharucha & Partners along with his team In one of the episodes of Fabulous Lives Vs Neelam Kothari opened up about her divorce from Rishi Sethia Samir Soni and the couple adopted a daughter Johar could resonate with Neelam's story and reflect on his journey as a single parent managing two kids He feels he is answerable to his children about many aspects of life.advertisement What are your views on Karan Johar's fear as a single parent?ADVT Mia Stewart’s upcoming 15-plus-years-in-the-making documentary deflates the heroic myth of Japanese holdout soldier Hiroo Onoda and tells the other side of the story Both Arthur Harari’s 2021 Cannes-premiering narrative feature Japanese holdout soldier Hiroo Onoda stalked the Philippine island of Lubang for 29 years after the end of World War II he was greeted with an elaborate hero’s welcome The ensuing PR campaign posed a man who sacrificed decades of his life for his country embodying selfless traditions some thought dissolved in his absence by the Japanese economic miracle that he chose to stay in Lubang because he was convinced the war never ended is highly disputable and impossible to confirm But it is indisputable that he killed Filipino civilians outside of wartime This much he openly admitted in the bestselling memoir his expurgated account of his time on the island The self-pitying hero myth continues to persist in two recent retellings that gloss over his murders: Arthur Harari’s Cannes-premiering narrative feature Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle (2021) and Werner Herzog’s debut novel Onoda’s myth was never monolithic, and dissenting voices have challenged it from the beginning. His reception in Japan was itself mixed. As Naoko Seriu, associate professor at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, recently told BBC Culture “[Onoda] was at the same time seen as a victim and then criticized as the embodiment of militarism.” Two years after the release of Onoda’s memoir published Imaginary Hero: Three Months with Officer Onoda [final English title TBA] a retraction of the lies that he once played a hand in sublimating Tsuda is convinced that Onoda knew the war was over and not only killed but enjoyed doing it filmmaker Mia Stewart started making a documentary film from the perspective of the people of Lubang members of her own family—particularly her mother Stewart has been facilitating the first English translation of Imaginary Hero in a joint effort to dispel the myth and fill out the story overseas. As of April 2023, she is raising funds to complete this venture she continues the conversation started by Imaginary Hero with the ghostwriter’s sons who reveal more about Onoda and their father’s relationship with him She has struggled to fund the film over the last decade and a half A festival premiere and distribution may still be years away according to his podcast with Nathan Callahan “more or less 20 countries,” with a production budget of 4 to 5 million euros This is a relatively scant budget for a period war film but far more than the thousands Stewart has so far raised and needs to finish She began Searching for Onoda long before Harari or Herzog entered the picture and in part due to which stories have an easier time getting financed I talked with Stewart and Harari separately over zoom about their different approaches and the problem of Onoda’s widespread misrepresentation Herzog’s PR team at Penguin Random House passed on an interview saying the director was no longer doing press for the book I highlight excerpts from Twilight World that I feel speak for him nearly every Filipino is cannon fodder without a name The only Filipino that Herzog names in Twilight World is the infamous dictator Ferdinand Marcos whom the Japanese government bribed to pardon Onoda for his war crimes on live television Herzog only ever refers to Filipinos in the book collectively as “peasants,” “sentries,” “rice farmers,” “islanders,” and “donkos” (a slur) he slips into a similar tendency: “When [Onoda] kills the young Filipino peasant … Iniez… She’s not a peasant She’s just Iniez.” Because both versions tell the story from or close to Onoda’s perspective the people of Lubang straddle the peripheries only coming into focus in a rifle’s line of sight But also wanting to appear sympathetic to Onoda’s victims they include pity for them at the edge of the page or the frame.  The limits of Harari and Herzog’s subsidiary empathy look even more obvious when confronted with a film that centers the people who were impacted by Onoda Stewart flew all the way to New York to attend the premiere of Harari’s film at New Directors/New Films and interview him in person for her Searching for Onoda documentary Harari is now part of the larger media narrative myth around Onoda In the audience Q&A after the ND/NF premiere “My mom grew up on [Lubang] island during Onoda’s time and Onoda and his men actually shot and killed my grandfather’s brother so it was very difficult for me to separate that from the film… I do commend you for tackling such a complex story and also a very complicated character did you have any reservations about criticisms you might face creating a story about such a controversial character?” anticipating Stewart’s attendance as she had emailed him beforehand I was very conscious of the difficulties regarding the point of view of the film—my choice to always be on his side which is the wrong side—because he has a vision of history that is objectively wrong as we know it as an audience and [that I know as a] writer… I hope that in my film in my artistic attempt and the way that the actors embodied the [characters].” Harari retains a measured distance and enough awareness to see incoming criticisms from afar and plausibly deny charges of ill intention Knowing how little screen time Filipino characters have in the film—my generous guess is 5 of 165 total minutes—I find his conviction and hope that their perspective exists “very strongly” hard to accept Onoda himself alternately reports having killed upwards of 130 people Stewart told me that the audience reaction didn’t seem to incite reflection about the violence of Onoda’s actions “What annoyed me after was how emotionally connected people felt to Onoda and his story,” she said As much as Harari can say that he was trying to create distance between himself and Onoda he ultimately created a romanticized view of Onoda from Onoda’s perspective Onoda was able to go back to his life and create a whole new life in Japan There were people who just couldn’t do that.”  Stewart cannot so readily leave the story behind and is driven to finally show audiences what happened from her family’s side When she adapted Onoda’s memoir into a creative nonfiction paper in high school her mother corrected her—there were huge parts missing from the story that her mother knew about firsthand Inspired to record the islanders’ stories from that point on she started returning to Lubang to film research interviews on a MiniDV camcorder some of which appear in a 96-minute rough cut of Searching for Onoda that I viewed for this piece Stewart gives the vast majority of the run time to firsthand testimonies and oral histories of the people in Lubang Her interviewees’ faces are recorded within feet of the camera operator (often Stewart herself) She rarely cuts or turns her camera away from their faces and words employing sparse B-roll and animation only to visualize Onoda’s narration: quotes from interviews and other Lubang friends and family remember their encounters with Onoda Their meticulous detailing of Onoda’s patterns of migration and of farm life under constant threat is an attempt at making up for the lack in Harari and Herzog’s depictions and Onoda’s own account This narrative repair is essential to remembering and reflecting how dramatically Onoda’s looming presence strained everyday life in Lubang where denizens observed an early evening curfew until he finally left Interviewing the daughter of Pelagio “Lyong” Tagle Stewart learned that the man was “hacked with a saw” after being shot Her lola told her the story of how Onoda killed Francisco Villar with a bolo Stewart talks with a group of men who corroborate her grandmother’s testimony of the gruesome murder and intercuts the two stories to emphasize their similarities His two sons relay the story to the camera: While tending the land the three of them came under fire by Onoda then his sons dragged him to safety and canoed him back into town Both sons returned to the island to care for their mother and younger siblings “That’s why so many elderly people have one leg now,” another man tells Stewart citing Onoda’s tendency to target kneecaps and an artery near the groin Each story is only a small part of the whole due to Onoda’s looting and burning of their harvest or the murder of a family member Stewart told me she estimated that “60 or 70%” of the people she interviewed have since passed away and that her interviews are the only record of their stories “I’m happy with it just being a recording and acknowledgment of their experience This was and still is a story that was intended to be told for my family It’s essentially a documentation of my family’s and the people on the island’s experience.” Stewart also shared an early English translation of Shin’s book “It’s wasteful to use 1 bullet for 1 person I tried to figure out how to kill 2 people with 1 bullet so they never come into the mountain alone I say this because from hearing his stories carefully it was clear that the islanders had no intention to kill.” Harari and Herzog frame Lubang civilians and police as actively antagonistic seeking out and ambushing Onoda and his comrades Stewart also noticed this tendency in Harari’s film one of the three men who accompanied Onoda after the war is killed by local police: “Harari shows that the islanders had basically instigated an attack He portrayed the islanders as less passive than I believe them to be and know from interviews and my family members.” In Tsuda’s book “I have never heard him [Onoda] talking about any incident where the islanders initiated the fight ‘We didn't make a mistake to be found by donko.’ Then why did he shoot the islanders?” Should Fictions or Memories Lay in the Gaps of History Filipinos were also subject to lurid scare tactics the CIA turning local mythology against them most infamously when they drained the blood of the corpses of communist Huk soldiers and punctured their necks with bitemarks to suggest real-life aswang feels akin to such reality-bending scare tactics and gives no indication of the aforementioned history Harari finished and released his film having read a single book on Onoda a French book: Bernard Cendron and Gérard Chenu’s Onoda: Seul en guerre dans la jungle such as in KUCI’s Film School: “Film School Radio with Mike Kaspar” podcast: “I didn’t read historical books about Japan or the war because the fact is that everything about Onoda’s story can be understood even if you don’t really know the general situation of the war Herzog similarly describes Lubang and its people as removed from his idea of history: “Other than a sense of the day coming to an end It’s as though it were forbidden—there’s not even a real sense of present because each performed action is already in the past which in its taciturnity will not allow present.” Void of any sense of familiarity with the place these broad observations borrow from culturally ingrained stereotypes of the tropics as mystifying and dangerous to heat-averse Westerners the lieutenant wonders what power he has over his rifle which in real life he maintained meticulously until his return to Tokyo: “‘Sometimes,’ says Onoda ‘it feels to me that there is something about these weapons that takes them out of human control And doesn’t war seem to have a life of its own too Was it the rifle and the jungle that possessed Onoda to kill to colonial soldiers ostensibly moved to madness by the nature of the foreign environment which is in fact being consumed by the outsiders’ violent nature—has historically shifted blame to the people on the defense and mis-situated its own metaphorical mirror. If Onoda went mad it was from seeing his violent nature reflected in the people and nature that he destroyed introducing home video footage of herself growing up on the island early in the film Unlike the unplaced jungles of Harari and Herzog’s imaginaries the real-life landscapes of Lubang generate vivid locals walk Stewart through the trails and tunnels Onoda took They show her a coconut tree with one of Onoda’s bullets still lodged in its husk Stewart’s mother remembers him vaulting out of the window of the home economics classroom with a pair of scissors The mayor at the time of Onoda’s surrender remembers how many times the soldier got sick during his term—just twice This collective memory conjures imagery far more vivid than Onoda’s own censored accounts and the nondescript visuals of Harari’s film and Herzog’s book A record of such details is critical because decades of hazily heroizing Onoda has so much required their suppression “I wanted people to forget when [the film] was made why it was made,” Harari told Asian Movie Pulse “and to just be on the journey and experience.” In addition to when and why he hopes you’ll forget where: for practical reasons Cambodia offered French-speaking labor; the crew was mostly Cambodian “If you add up all those nationalities,” Harari calculated is predicated on forgetting the facts that naturally abound in Stewart’s film “I’d love to invite [Harari] to the island and actually see where Onoda had lived and what he had done I think if they actually filmed on the island and not Cambodia that it might have changed the way he did the film I think he was able to remove himself emotionally to a certain degree and depict Lubang Island however he wanted.” His choice of shooting location allowed him to further avoid confrontation with the real history of Onoda and Lubang people which is redundantly limited to how Onoda has already most commonly been portrayed he could not help but situate the film’s journey within Western genre trappings: “My culture and my interests as an occidental man are very much influenced by romanticism If I have been fascinated by Onoda and very interested in his story it was because I could very easily project onto it something of romantic literary myth… I try to see the whole aspect of Onoda—and it was not completely bad and not completely good When Stewart interviewed Harari after the ND/NF screening he revealed he knew “the real Onoda was much scarier” than the one he depicted and was a “sociopath” who was probably “happy to have killed some enemies.” Late into writing the script his friend translated and summarized a few pages of Imaginary Hero that described Onoda stabbing the chief of a Lubang village to death shocked … and I understood that my script was too gentle and too evasive about the violence of Onoda.” This led him to create the scene where Onoda orders Akatsu to stab a Filipino captive to death but again taking the murder out of his hands He goes on to doubt the veracity of Onoda’s testimony “Every one of us has reasons mysterious even to ourselves to say what we say,” Harari maintained “So the truth is not exactly always what you say it's completely ambiguous—completely.”  after spending time with the people of Lubang Stewart’s work-in-progress project also provides a fuller picture of Onoda She brings the audience closer to him with Onoda’s own voiceover giving him a conflicted interiority that Herzog and Harari eschew for distance In the final 20 minutes of Searching for Onoda’s rough cut we leave Lubang for the first time and follow Stewart to Japan just days before Stewart is scheduled to meet Onoda there She attends his public memorial at the Yasukuni Shrine who is in unfit mental condition to be interviewed and witnesses a collective remembering and celebration of the man that feels totally jarring against everything that came before One former colleague from the youth nature school that Onoda founded tells Stewart she thinks of him as a grandfather; others swear by his kindness with convincing smiles Archival footage of Onoda lecturing at the nature school shows the warmth he emitted later in his life and the adoration he received from people in return expresses this dramatic personality shift to the camera by showing two posters of Onoda’s face one from when he first returned from Lubang Kando describes Onoda as looking like a “demon.” In the second he describes Onoda as “beaming.” Late in life Where Harari and Herzog might have fixated on the supposed paradox in the contrast cuts through it—“I want to tell you a story about a man who has committed acts of evil but is given a second chance.” A.E. Hunt is an endeavoring filmmaker, cameraperson in production, and writer with bylines in Filmmaker, Criterion, Sight & Sound, Film Comment, American Cinematographer, MUBI Notebook, and more. He is also vice president of Dedza Films a distributor for and by underrepresented filmmakers © 2024 International Documentary Association Privacy Policy You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience March 18 (ANI): Director and producer Karan Johar penned a sweet birthday wish for his mother Hiroo Johar who turned 82 on Tuesdsay.The 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' director shared two throwback photos with his mother along with an adorable note in which he explained how his mother reprimands him after his achievements The first photo on the slide featured young Karan Johar hugging his mother The director donned a blue sweatshirt while Hiroo was seen wearing a green dress in the photo The second throwback photo was archived from his childhood album He smiled for the camera wearing a birthday cap while his mother Karan shared how his mother humbled him after his achievement and reprimanded him whenever he used his phone and donned unique outfits I only have gratitude in my heart to the universe for giving me the privilege of being born to her ....She grounds me everyday ( "they gave you an award ?? it could go away some day ") She reprimands me chapter 1 ( " what are you wearing Karan ?? " ) she reprimands me chapter 2 ( "you are always on the phone!!! A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) reacted to the post with red hearts and sweet birthday wishes for Karan's mother Hiroo filmmaker Karan Johar's Dharma Productions has announced its collaboration with actor-singer Gippy Grewal for the Punjabi film 'Akaal'.This will mark Dharma's first foray into Punjabi cinema It is written and directed by Gippy Grewal It is all set to hit the theatres on April 10 in Punjabi and Hindi more B-Town celebs reach Nirmal Kapoor's funeral WAVES 2025: Kareena Kapoor wants global audience to watch 'Jab We Met' says "it embodies spirit of young Indian girl" WAVES 2025: SRK opens up about his shy side reveals he 'hides behind' Deepika Padukone at parties Gigi Hadid celebrates 30th birthday with Bradley Cooper Kanye West regrets not having kids with Paris Hilton voh kashmir me hi hogi": Suniel Shetty urges citizens to be fearless Varun Dhawan feels "lucky" as he spends working birthday copyrights © aninews.in | All rights Reserved tells the strange story of Japan's controversial WW2 hero Its themes of nationalism and fake news are more relevant now than ever December 1944: in the final months of World War Two a Japanese lieutenant named Hiroo Onoda was stationed on Lubang a US attack forced Japanese combatants into the jungle – but unlike most of his comrades Onoda remained hidden on the island for nearly 30 years The Japanese government declared him dead in 1959 he was alive – committed to a secret mission that had instructed him to hold the island until the imperial army's return He was convinced the whole time that the war had never ended -       The Northman review -       The Ukrainian satire that's too real -       10 films to watch this April and Filipina-Australian filmmaker Mia Stewart to complete her own documentary later in 2022 it is evident that Onoda is an alluring subject and "fake news" more relevant than ever his story remains as fascinating and contested a subject as it did upon his re-emergence nearly 50 years ago Onoda was conscripted into the Japanese army in 1942 where he was selected for guerilla combat training At the Futamata branch of the Nakano Military School his training defied the widely distributed Senjinkun battlefield code instructions which forbade Japanese combatants from being taken prisoner and instructed them to die fighting or via self-sacrifice instead "You are absolutely forbidden to die by your own hand," he was told upon being sent to Lubang in late 1944 – as recalled in his 1974 memoir "Under no circumstances are you to give up your life voluntarily." Onoda's mission was to destroy the Lubang airfield and a pier by the harbour plus any enemy planes or crews who attempted to land and as enemy forces took control of the island he and his fellow troops retreated into the jungle The war was soon over – but the leaflets that were dropped on Lubang to inform stragglers of Japan's surrender on 15 August 1945 by Onoda and the three remaining servicemen who stood by him They remained hidden in the wilderness among stinging ants and snakes convinced that the enemy was trying to starve them out but Onoda assumed them to be Japanese prisoners Photos from family members were believed to be doctored – Onoda was not aware that his hometown had been bombed and rebuilt Jets heard flying overhead during the Korean War (1950-53) were thought to be a Japanese counter-offensive while newspapers dropped on the island informing them otherwise were dubbed "Yankee propaganda" he and comrade Kinshichi Kozuka "had developed so many fixed ideas that we were unable to understand anything that did not conform to them." Kozuka was ultimately killed by shots fired by local police in October 1972 before an encounter with an eccentric Japanese explorer named Norio Suzuki resulted in an agreement If Suzuki could bring Onoda's commanding officer to Lubang with direct orders to lay down arms Suzuki's mission was a success – and Onoda's war came to an end on 9 March 1974 the French director of Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle initially wanted to make an "adventure" film having been inspired by writers like Joseph Conrad and Robert Louis Stevenson and reading Bernard Cendron and Gérard Chenu's 2020 book 1944-1974 – a "documentary" text informed by interviews with Onoda and the authors' visits to Lubang – he realised he'd found the perfect source material "The whole story was fascinating," Harari tells BBC Culture "You can't not be struck by it." But while acclaim for the film has been widespread, it has not been entirely universal – with Sight & Sound magazine notably critical of Harari's portrayal of Onoda, and the omission of any meaningful Filipino perspective. "With nationalist sentiment on the rise again in Japan," James Lattimer wrote in a review published shortly after the film's premiere in Cannes "making a film that essentially celebrates someone who appeared to fully assimilate its imperialistic ambitions is naive at best and insulting at worst; it's telling here that the Filipinos who appear are little more than cannon fodder." a farmer named Fernando Poblete describes his gruesome discovery of a fellow islander's corpse: "the body was found in one place Harari admits that he had expected his film to be contentious – and while he doesn't defend Onoda's actions he does justify his creative decision-making is to "stand by [Onoda] like a member of his group," so as to understand the experience of a soldier who was "completely imprisoned" within his own point of view (He draws parallels to the present-day conspiracy denial and fanaticism seen around the world and the dangerous actions that often go with them) Taking this perspective doesn't mean agreeing with Onoda pointing to the inclusion of semi-fictional scenes in which islanders are killed in cold blood as a result of Onoda's actions "I tried to show that the violence in which the [Filipinos] live is an outraging violence [but] it's a very difficult and tricky position for the mise-en-scène in a way because I tried to manage both feelings." associate professor at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and author of the essay Le retour du soldat Onoda et ses résonances which contribute to what she feels is a less-than-heroic interpretation of the character "The film shows that Onoda was feared and hated by the inhabitants," she tells BBC Culture "[and while] these scenes do not measure up to the cruelty of the facts they can raise doubts and can disturb the public and invite them hopefully to reflect." and the repercussions for a soldier abandoning certain duties or failing to adhere to traditional standards were severe: "Even if the death penalty was not carried out [a disgraced soldier] was so thoroughly ostracised by others that he might as well have been dead." To complicate matters further Onoda's secret orders to survive using any means necessary and hold the territory until the imperial army's return effectively isolated him from his comrades And it would have weighed heavily on him that he had already failed in his mission to destroy Lubang's pier and airfield "The ideology of no-surrender during the war was powerful," Beatrice Trefalt senior lecturer in Japanese Studies at Australia's Monash University but this hardly explains the extent of Onoda's commitment or ran into hopeless battles as a last-ditch effort and so the surrender was very welcome for most people." She concludes that Onoda was likely "a very uncompromising person" who refused to abandon his principles "This refusal cost the lives of not only two of his comrades/friends Onoda might have found it easier to convince himself that he didn't know [the war was over] rather than to face up to the destruction engendered by his own Onoda wasn't the only soldier who found it difficult to believe that the war had ended many Japanese groups continued fighting long after the country's surrender Twenty-one soldiers were rounded up on the island of Anatahan in 1951 endured 29 years in the jungle after the end of World War Two And Shoichi Yokoi remained hidden in the Guam jungle until 1972 The latter revealed that he knew the war had been over for 20 years – but had been too frightened to give himself up is that many other Japanese holdouts "found ways to live in the formerly occupied country," and even started families in some cases "refused to live in collaboration with the inhabitants [of Lubang]." he was cheered by a crowd of up to 8,000 people – a moment that was played out live on NHK Japan was facing its worst economic performance in two decades Onoda offered a timely reminder of the traditional and positive Japanese virtues of bravery pride and commitment that had been widespread during wartime His re-emergence offered a useful propaganda tool for the country's powerful conservatives – or at the very least "He aligned himself with the powerful faction and played the role that would allow him the most benefit," Trefalt says "The money he made from the media frenzy was always going to be better than the measly veterans' pension." but he was at the same time seen as a victim and then criticised as the embodiment of militarism – Naoko SeriuIn her book Japanese Army Stragglers and Memories of the War in Japan Trefalt describes the controversy that met Onoda's bestselling memoir war veterans confronted Onoda at a public launch event "loudly questioning his account… and accusing him of concocting a pack of lies," she writes the memoir's ghostwriter Ikeda Shin published his own account titled Fantasy Hero,believing that it was his responsibility to inform the public that he believed Onoda was not a hero "Onoda was greeted as a hero," Naoko Seriu says of the breadth of interpretations of his character "but he was at the same time seen as a victim and then criticised as the embodiment of militarism." Onoda's reception Evidently the fantastical elements of Onoda's legend are as alluring as its disputed truths who is completing a documentary that offers a Filipino perspective of events On Search For Onoda's fundraising page Stewart describes how her own mother grew up on Lubang being told stories about a "mythical soldier" who hid on the outskirts of their village and would cause harm to those who approached "It's easy to romanticise the time-travelling soldier who refuses to surrender the survivor," Stewart tells BBC Culture "I was [also] in awe of Onoda when I first learned about him." But the trailer for Stewart's film highlights the significant truth that is perhaps understated in other accounts of this story The war didn't end in 1945 for Onoda; but it didn't end there for the Filipinos on Lubang And the voice of the Filipino people needs to be heard "so as to counter the image of Onoda as a hero and to bring attention and justice for the victims and their families," she says Stewart encourages every person who comes across Harari's film or Herzog's book to seek out her documentary compelling and controversial as Onoda's this simple conclusion is also the most logical There are several sides to every story – the truth Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle is released in the UK and Ireland on 15 April BBC Culture has been nominated for best writing in the 2022 Webby Awards. If you enjoy reading our stories, please take a moment to vote for us Love film and TV? 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Tuesday | May 06 2025 | has joined the Senior Partnership at Bharucha & Partners (B&P) and brings his team with him This follows from the vision which Hiroo and B&P share with respect to practising the law.  Hiroo Advani is one of India’s finest arbitration practitioners with proven excellence in handling complex disputes in arbitration across institutions Hiroo furthers B&P’s skillsets and capabilities and adds to the formidable MP Bharucha – often described as a ’weapon of choice’ in arbitration – and Sneha Jaisingh who has rapidly established herself as a leading Disputes practitioner in the country Following his tenure as a member of the SIAC Court Hiroo presently holds office as a member of the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) Court he was lead counsel in the Group of Companies Doctrine case where in a landmark decision of a Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court of India chaired by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) which non-signatories to an arbitration clause were held to be subject to arbitration proceedings Hiroo and Justin especially thank Shivani Bagdai of TriChambers for helping structure this initiative and bring it to fruition I believe we will set new benchmarks in arbitration.” Justin M Bharucha said that “Hiroo needs no introduction and we’re delighted to be working together Hiroo’s unmatched experience in arbitration and as an arbitrator adds to MP’s vast experience and Sneha’s leadership.” Subscribe to our newsletter to get updates on our latest news is planning to share his talent with Tokyo by teaching a beginner level house dance class this Saturday The House dance pioneer rose to fame in Manhattan in the early 1980s clinching victory at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night four times consecutively He featured in music videos for notable artists like Nikki D Co-founding the inaugural house dance classes in 1992 serving as a principal dancer for Mariah Carey for 11 years His global performances and appearances in films like New Jack City and Strictly Business attest to his enduring influence he choreographed for Omarion’s 2020/2021 tour He is currently visiting Japan as a judge for the “Dance Alive” competition a famous dance event and hosting a workshop at zen place suitable even for those with no dance experience The lesson will focus on steps to the rhythm of comfortable house music *Please be aware that there is no changing room available at the studio Zen Place Academy Ebisu3-12-36 Hiroo Approximately a 10-minute walk from JR Ebisu Station West Exit / Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line Ebisu Station Exit 2https://g.co/kgs/gUqeJ9 Sign up here! 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Love, identity, and the untold tales of Japan’s queer community Everything you need to know before and during a natural disaster Stay up to date with Tokyo news and events 2022Photograph by Adam Pape for The New YorkerSave this storySave this storySave this storySave this storyThe Japanese lieutenant Hiroo Onoda emerged from hiding after fighting the Second World War for twenty-nine years He’d been deployed to the Philippine island of Lubang in 1944 and had received secret orders to hold his position even as the Imperial Army withdrew from its airfield there His commander promised that someone would come back for him eventually by three fellow-soldiers who’d got lost in the jungle during the retreat but then one man wandered off and surrendered and the other two were killed in skirmishes with local police the Japanese dropped leaflets and sent search parties His brother spoke to him through a loudspeaker; his father left him a haiku But Onoda had sewn himself so seamlessly into his surroundings that he eluded detection he dismissed all outside communication as propaganda newspapers called him a “straggler” or “holdout,” words that failed to convey the sublime futility of his mission who has admitted to bending the facts even in his documentaries “Most details are factually correct; some are not.”) Herzog’s films His archetypal character might be someone undaunted by nature’s cruelty who follows his dreams so doggedly that he ends up living a nightmare It’s easy to see why he was drawn to Onoda’s tale and spoke intently of the jungle—where Herzog has set some of his most beloved films the Wrath of God”—which he has called “a curse weighing on an entire landscape.” Few writers are better equipped to capture a place so overwhelmingly opaque that it lapses into absurdity and a life that became an exercise in purposed purposelessness and Onoda’s war has the eerie gravity of a thought experiment come to life an island about twice as large as Manhattan and Onoda becomes “an impalpable dream figure the discovery of a piece of used chewing gum on a bamboo pole counts as a major plot development Onoda believes that American G.I.s may have placed it there to taunt him he’s certain that someone has moved it “by a hand’s breadth.” Herzog has always been attuned to the ways in which survivalism functions as a form of existentialism The brutal irony of “The Twilight World” comes in moments like these when Onoda succumbs to what a psychologist might call patternicity hearing signals that soon fade into the endless noise A leaflet proclaiming the end of the war must be a forgery Onoda’s devout belief in his mission becomes a form of schizophrenia Confronted with a newspaper left behind by a search party he decides that it’s too replete with ads to be real: “They’ve censored the actual news “The Twilight World” is a funny novel in the same way that Herzog’s film “Grizzly Man”—about an environmentalist who loved bears or deadpan is an understatement; it’s more like cosmic farce or field recordings of the hiccups of fate The novel’s most humorous events are also its most despairing he was reluctant to abandon the elaborate dream he’d inhabited He’d stumbled upon a Japanese tourist who’d gone looking for him he returned a few weeks later with Onoda’s commanding officer that the Army “had merely wanted to test his dependability.” Having missed the detonation of the atom bomb, the moon landing he returned to Japan a postwar Rip Van Winkle enshrining the “Onoda spirit” as an exemplar of lost Japanese duty and discipline His homecoming “seemed to stir the deepest and most melancholic feelings,” the Times noted Though “The Twilight World” is full of melancholy The word “honor” appears only in dialogue—for Herzog it derives not from patriotism but from his unswerving ability to ignore his own insignificance Herzog puts an ultrafine point on it: “Onoda’s war is of no meaning for the cosmos he predicted that his writing would outlast his movies—but he approaches the task of novel writing with more caution and He seems to write with an Onoda-like sense of obligation he has said that he felt fiction was the only appropriate form for telling Onoda’s story “The passage of time is one of the reasons why the story became a book and not a film,” he said in the interview Lifting the foot out of the mud is already past and setting it down in front of you is the future As a series of images, “The Twilight World” is slow and spectral, closer to Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” or Terrence Malick’s “The Thin Red Line” than to Herzog’s own movies translated from the German by Michael Hofmann marches to his distinct cadences—anyone who knows his voice will find it in these pages (Those who don’t should consult the audiobook read by the man himself.) The Herzogian tendency toward high-minded pronouncements “The monstrous clatter of water enjoins everything to silence Crickets sound “as though a great locomotive had applied its emergency brakes”; spiders weave their webs “like diabolical harpists plucking irresistible melodies.” Reflecting on Onoda’s tendency to see conspiracy behind every effort to reach him or else the codes are unpredictably enriched with reality this is an apt description of “The Twilight World”: a true story unpredictably enriched with fiction it seems to shimmer with layers of meaning who has made a career studying the emptiness of meaning-making celebrates Onoda’s noble crusade even as he dismisses its abject triviality; it takes a kindred spirit to admire someone who held himself hostage to a lost cause Herzog devotes almost none of the novel to Onoda’s life after his long war These are biographical afterthoughts for Herzog A long-ago crime, suddenly remembered A limousine driver watches her passengers transform The day Muhammad Ali punched me What is it like to be keenly intelligent but deeply alienated from simple emotions? Temple Grandin knows The harsh realm of “gentle parenting.”  Retirement the Margaritaville way Fiction by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “Thank You for the Light.”  Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from The New Yorker. This month's Spotlight focuses on a Japanese soldier who for three decades refused to believe the war was over Onoda was the penultimate Japanese holdout to surrender from World War II He remained at his jungle post in Lubang Island in the Philippines for over 29 years Taniguchi eventually relieved Onoda of his duties on March 9 1974 after he was discovered by explorer Norio Suzuki Teruo Nakamura became the last known soldier of the Japan Imperial Army to surrender he never received the kind of attention afforded to Onoda or Shoichi Yokoi Japan’s two most famous holdouts both wrote autobiographies Onoda’s was adapted into a movie that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year Yuya Endo as a young Hiroo Onoda in Onoda 10,000 Nights in the Jungle 1922 in the city of Kainan in Wakayama Prefecture he was interested in combat training and joined the kendo club at junior high school heading to Wuhan in China to work for the Tajima Yoko trading company aged 17 Onoda stood out and was recruited for specialized training at the army’s Nakano School A training center for military intelligence operations These skills would prove invaluable in the decades that followed His mission was to do everything he could to hinder enemy attacks there and Philippine Commonwealth forces took control of the island Most Japanese soldiers either surrendered or were killed leaflets were dropped informing the soldiers the war had ended The four remaining Japanese soldiers on Lubang Island in Arthur Harari’s movie Even when family photos and letters were dropped from an aircraft It was the same with announcements over loudspeakers Shimada attacked local fishermen on a beach several holdouts surrendered during the 1950s including the famous castaways from the island of Anatahan their time there was sensationalized as a lurid tale of sex and violence the humiliation of defeat was too much to take Seaman Noboru Kinoshita was captured in the Philippines in 1955 and chose to take his own life rather than return to Japan Then Yokoi was discovered in a Guam jungle in January 1972 Kozuka was shot and killed by local police officers while burning rice collected by famers Ononda was now the last of his group remaining Kanji Tsuda as the older Onoda meeting explorer Norio Suzuki (Taiga Nakano) news of Kozuka’s 27-year survival led to a rethink Search efforts were set up to find the soldier That was until Norio Suzuki set out on his expedition the Middle East and Africa before briefly returning home His next mission was to search for “Lieutenant Onoda He found Onoda just four days into his trip. Even as the soldier prepared his rifle, Suzuki remained calm. “The emperor and the people of Japan are worried about you,” he said Onoda eventually became friendly with the explorer but wasn’t prepared to leave unless he was relieved of his duties by his commanding officer Suzuki returned with Taniguchi so he could do just that Onoda – 10,000 Nights in the Jungle premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year A few months later, another holdout was discovered accidentally by a pilot on the Indonesian island of Morotai. Nakamura (born Attun Palalin), was treated very differently to Onoda. Repatriated to Taiwan, he wasn’t even entitled to a pension, initially receiving just ¥68,000 from the Japanese government. They eventually relented, paying him ¥20 million, yet despite his extreme loyalty to the cause, Nakamura received little attention in Japan prior to his death from lung cancer in 1979.   Onoda, on the other hand, was treated like a hero. After decades hiding away from the world, he was suddenly thrust into the international spotlight. That wasn’t something he enjoyed. Disillusioned with Japan, which he believed was losing its traditional values, he moved to Brazil to raise cattle. He married Machie in 1976 before returning home eight years later. The pair established the Onoda Nature School aimed at teaching children about the value of life.   Onoda spent his remaining years moving back and forth between Japan and Brazil. He died of heart failure due to complications from pneumonia on January 16, 2014 aged 91. A legendary figure in this country, he was back in the news recently following the release of Onoda – 10,000 Nights in the Jungle. Starring Yuya Endo and Kanji Tsuda, the film debuted in Cannes in July before its Japan release last month.   *All movie images provided by Elephant House.   March 18, 2025: Karan Johar shared a sweet and emotional birthday wish for his mother, Hiroo Johar, who turned 82 on Tuesday. The renowned director and producer took to social media to post two throwback photos with his beloved mother along with a heartfelt note reflecting on their relationship. In the first image, a young Karan Johar is seen hugging Hiroo Johar, with the director wearing a blue sweatshirt while his mother dons a green dress. The second photo from Karan’s childhood shows him wearing a birthday cap while Hiroo lifts him in her arms, capturing a moment of love and joy. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Karan Johar (@karanjohar) Karan Johar expressed his gratitude to the universe for the privilege of being born to Hiroo Johar He humorously recounted how his mother keeps him grounded always reminding him to stay humble despite his achievements He also shared how Hiroo reprimands him in her own unique way from questioning his choice of outfits to scolding him for being on the phone too much “My mom turns 82 today… I only have gratitude in my heart to the universe for giving me the privilege of being born to her,” Karan wrote “She grounds me everyday (‘they gave you an award?? she centers me (‘be grateful … it could go away some day’) she reprimands me chapter 1 (‘what are you wearing Karan???’) she reprimands me chapter 2 (‘you are always on the phone!!!!’) BUT she is my world expressed their warm birthday wishes in the comments section with red hearts and sweet messages for Hiroo Johar Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions also recently announced its collaboration with actor-singer Gippy Grewal for the Punjabi film Akaal which marks Dharma Productions’ first venture into Punjabi cinema and in-depth analysis from around the world Your trusted source for unbiased and timely updates This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.