“Without a huge shock, the sleepy-head, ignorant Japanese will never wake up.”
Judit Kawaguchi, "Words to Live By: Hiroo Onoda"
Hirō "Hiroo" Onoda was an Imperial Japanese Army intelligence officer who fought in World War II and was a Japanese holdout who did not surrender in August 1945. After Onoda spent 29 years holding out in the Philippines, his former commander traveled from Japan to personally issue orders relieving him from duty in 1974. He held the rank of second lieutenant in the Imperial Japanese Army.
“Without a huge shock, the sleepy-head, ignorant Japanese will never wake up.”
Judit Kawaguchi, "Words to Live By: Hiroo Onoda"
“Lieutenant Onoda, Sir, reporting for orders.”
No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War, tr. Charles Sanford Terry (1999), ISBN 1557506639; after meeting his superior, Taniguchi, the first time in 30 years.
“Men should never give up. I never do. I would hate to lose.”
Judit Kawaguchi, "Words to Live By: Hiroo Onoda"
“Some dreams are best not to wake up from.”
Attributed by Judit Kawaguchi, "Words to Live By: Hiroo Onoda" https://archive.is/20120720155407/search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20070116jk.html, The Japan Times, 16 January 2007