Diplomats from Japan yesterday investigated astonishing claims that two former Japanese soldiers have been hiding in the mountains of southern Philippines since World War II.
Japanese Embassy representatives went to the region to interview the two mystery men in a scheduled meeting yesterday arranged by a third person who had contacted the mission, embassy official Masaru Watanabe said.
However, the diplomats were kept waiting at a hotel in General Santos city, about 1,000km south of Manila, Japanese Embassy spokesman Shuhei Ogawa said.
As of yesterday afternoon, the two men hadn't shown up, Ogawa said.
Media reports in Japan said the two octogenarians lived on the southern island of Mindanao with equipment suggesting they were former soldiers, with one report saying they were separated from their division and later wanted to return to Japan but feared they would face a courtmartial.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said in Tokyo he hoped the mystery would be cleared up soon.
"We are checking it now," he told reporters. "It is a surprise if it's true, but we have to check first."
Goichi Ichikawa, the chairman of a veterans group in Japan, said he first alerted the Tokyo government of reports about the men in February, asking that they be rescued as soon as possible.
Ichikawa said he learned of at least three Japanese men living in the mountains of Mindanao from someone who went there late last year.
"It's amazing they were able to survive for 60 years," Ichikawa told reports in Osaka. "Of course I was stunned."
The reports were reminiscent of World War II straggler Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, who believed the war was still on when he was found in the jungle on the Philippine island of Lubang in 1974. He refused to give up until March of that year, when Japan flew in his former commander to formally inform him the war was over.
Another former Japanese soldier, Shoichi Yokoi, was found on Guam in 1972. He returned home and died in 1997.
Japan's Kyodo News agency said the two may be Yoshio Yamakawa, 87, and Tsuzuki Nakauchi, 83. But the Health Ministry in Tokyo declined to confirm the report saying they could not disclose any information until officials have identified them.
Embassy officials "want to meet directly with those two persons to find out if they are really Japanese soldiers, [and to find out details] beginning with their names and age," Watanabe said.
The Sankei Shimbun said the two had been in the mountains of Mindanao for about 60 years.
They remained there after failing to join their division after wandering in the mountains, the paper said. Last September, a Japanese national in the lumber business ran into them in the mountains. It was learned later that they wanted to go back to Japan but were afraid of facing a court-martial for withdrawing from action, the Sankei said.
But a senior Filipino police intelligence officer in the area cautioned that the story was yet to be confirmed.
"There is a possibility that this could just be a hoax," he said.
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS