Onoda moved to Shizuoka Prefecture in August and then in September he entered the Nakano Army Academy. About 230 students were selected from all over Japan to enter this school as the 1st generation of students. They were mostly intelligent college students from universities and also high school graduates. Onoda and the other students did not know or have any knowledge about this school, but, they heard the purpose of this school at the entrance ceremony, causing most of them to immediately have anxious reactions. The existence of this school was absolutely a secret and the contents of their classes were highly classified. The school educated students about secret operations to make them Intelligence Officers. The Nakano Army School was established in Tokyo before World War II because Japan lagged behind Eastern countries in reference to intelligence activities. This school was established in Futamata, Shizuoka Prefecture as one of the branches of the Nakano Army Academy for fostering guerilla soldiers.
The first thing most of the students were really surprised about was the fundamental instruction of battlefields, “Live until you die.” They had been taught the motto “Die with honor.” The practice for death and study to live, were totally different ways of thinking. Onoda exercised lethal attacks against enemies to kill them as substantially as he could, repeatedly in previous schools. The students were quite confused by the instruction. Furthermore, the spirit of the school was free, even under the severe censorship in wartime, they were able to openly discuss anything, including topics related to the Emperor or the real political situation in Japan, because they needed to know the exact information to be effective Intelligence Officers.
The students took four categorized courses consisting of; Intelligence, Conspiracy, Propaganda and Counterintelligence. The necessary skills required for guerrilla fighters were thoroughly hammered into their memory. Concretely speaking, the school taught special techniques such as phone hacking, cryptology/code-breaking, how to open confidential correspondence without their hands, lock picking and safe cracking, how to use special ink, and how to make special explosives. In addition, they learned esoteric conversations which descended from the Samurai Era and a covert way of walking like that of Ninja.
The students studied for 8 hours a day in school, and then they worked on a massive amount of homework because they needed to finish studying guerrilla topics with-in 3 months. Originally, the school program was two years, but because of the rising tension due to war, the school cut the language courses into one year, and finally they cut other low-priority courses into 6 months. The instructors desperately educated their students in what was originally a 6-month course in 3 months. There was not a moment to waste, thus, the students studied until late at night and they also locked themselves in with their homework in a hotel on the weekend.
The students learned the principles of covert action and there was no correct answer in guerilla warfare. They needed to select the most appropriate action according to the situation. The school instructors also asked many bizarre questions to them. They responded to the questions quickly to polish their flexibility. Sometimes the group went outside to simulate guerilla activities to enhance their applied skills.
The secret soldiers were not praised by ordinary people. They were praised by their group members only. They needed to accomplish their missions secretly and then they had to leave without being noticed. Sometimes they needed to tell lies, not only to their enemies but to their friends as well. The ultimate self-sacrificing spirit was needed. How did they find something to believe in? The school taught them the most important thing was the “Makoto” spirit. The symbol of the word Makoto is “誠” in Chinese characters. The character includes sincerity and loyalty. The Makoto spirit is the one which is loyalty to the Japanese nation and Japanese race and to never betray the Japanese race. As long as you have the Makoto spirit, you can endure the cause of all suffering and finally it will lead to the completion of the mission. At that time, the Japanese people believed that Japan would win the war in the end.
Two sides of war: the visible and invisible fighting. Onoda thought the invisible fight of secret warfare, which throws enemies into confusion by using his brain, suited him. All actions can be decided by him in order to live and complete his mission no matter what it took. The most important thing was the result. Even if Onoda was captured by the enemy, he had to survive and give enemies false information to confuse them as long as he was able to live. He could do anything he wanted freely. This style of guerilla warfare strongly matched Onoda’s personality.
Hiroo Onoda had thoroughly received the guerrilla training for the Southern Battle Line in the Philippines where he was stationed for 3 months; he was then assigned to Manila to defend the Philippines.
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Chapter 4. Mother’s Advice and General’s Command
