WWII Holdout Yokoi Dies at 82

Shoichi Yokoi, the former Japanese Imperial Army soldier who hid in the jungles of Guam for 27 years--refusing to surrender in a war that he did not realize had ended--died in Nagoya on Monday. He was 82.

Yokoi died of heart failure at 5:07 p.m. at JR Tokai Sogo Hospital in Nagoya, his family said.

After being drafted in 1941, Yokoi was first sent to Manchuria, and later transferred to Guam.

When U.S. forces recaptured Guam in 1944, most Japanese soldiers had been killed in action. The 29-year-old Yokoi, however, fled into the jungle shortly before the takeover, upholding his vow never to be captured alive by enemy forces.

He lived in a cave and survived on a diet of yams, fish, fruits, rats and other small animals. He made his clothes from tree bark.

He was discovered in January 1972 by local residents as he was fishing in a river near his dwelling.

Upon his return to Japan after 31 years, Yokoi shocked citizens when he said he felt "ashamed to return home alive."

After returning to Nagoya, Yokoi married in November 1972.

He traveled the nation giving lectures on his life in the jungle and warned people not to waste food and other necessities, despite the affluence of modern society.

He also made an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the House of Councillors in 1974.

In 1985, Yokoi underwent surgery for stomach cancer. He recovered, but was later diagnosed as having Parkinson's disease.

In recent years, Yokoi had occupied himself with farming, pottery and calligraphy.

A funeral services for Yokoi will be held at noon on Wednesday at the Gyoun Temple in Nakagawa Ward, Nagoya. Yokoi is survived by his wife Mihoko.

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Updated September 28, 1997

Updated September 25, 1997