The Japanese soldier, Hiroo Onada, who hid out in the jungle for 30 years after the end of World War II, died in Japan at the age of 91 on Friday.

Onada hid out in the jungles on the island of Lubang in the Philippines until 1974, he was one of four Japanese soldiers that refused to surrender after the end of the war. Onoda, an intelligence officer, sent to the Philippines to hamper attacks by the allies there, was prevented from carrying out his orders by ranking officers already on the island. But, he took his instructions and training seriously. He had been ordered to not surrender, commit suicide or quit his duty until reinforcement could arrive on the island.

After Allied forces landed and retook the island in 1945, all but Onoda and three soldiers had either surrendered or died in the fighting. Onoda ordered the three others to take to the hills to carry out their resistance. Onoda, along with Private Yūichi Akatsu, Corporal Shōichi Shimada and Private First Class Kinshichi Kozuka carried out guerrilla operations through the years, killing at least 30 Filipino residents and engaging in fire fights with local police. One of the four, Akatsu, gave up and surrendered in 1950.

The remaining three would continue with their guerrilla activities. One of the remaining three, Shimada, would be wounded in June of 1953, but Onoda would nurse the injured man back to health. Shimada would again be shot, and this time killed by a search party less than a year later.

That left only two, Kozuka and Onoda, they would continue their guerrilla activities for 18 more years. But, while on a rice-burning raid in October of 1972, Kozuka would be shot and killed by local police.

Now all alone, Onoda would be searched out by Norio Suzuki, who asked Onoda why he didn’t surrender. Onoda replied that he was awaiting orders from a superior officer to do so. Suzuki would travel back to Japan with a picture of him and Onoda as evidence that he had seen him (Onoda had been declared dead in 1959).

As a result of Suzuki’s story and the evidence, the Japanese government located Onoda’s superior officer, former Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, who was now a bookseller, and Taniguchi traveled to Lubang island, found Onoda, and issued him new orders, relieving him of his duties, and Onoda surrendered. When Onoda surrendered, he turned over his still functioning rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammo, grenades, as well as a dagger given to him by his mother in 1944.

Onoda returned to Japan and he was met with roaring crowds, parades and speeches by public officials. He only remained in Japan for a short time however, and moved to Brazil a year later. After nine years in Brazil, Onoda returned to Japan to open a educational camp for youth. He would continue to visit Brazil through the years, spending as much as three months a year there.

Onoda died in a Tokyo hospital on Friday after a brief stay.