Brighton have issued a formal apology after a post from the club’s academy on social media featured an image of Hiroo Onoda, a Japanese Second World War soldier whose legacy remains deeply contentious, particularly in China.
The since-deleted message on X showed Japan international Kaoru Mitoma pictured with an academy player, the pair holding a football card depicting Onoda.
Brighton had intended to promote their Under-12s’ forthcoming involvement in the Premier League Christmas Truce Tournament, but instead found themselves facing a wave of criticism as the post went viral on Chinese social media platform Weibo.
Onoda, an intelligence officer in the Imperial Japanese Army, became notorious for refusing to surrender when the Second World War ended, holding out in the Philippine jungle on Lubang Island until 1974.
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Believing repeated announcements of Japan’s capitulation were enemy deceptions, he remained armed for nearly three decades, during which he killed 30 local civilians whom he mistakenly believed to be combatants.
Although the Philippine government later issued him a pardon, Onoda’s actions and the wider record of Japan’s wartime atrocities in China mean he remains an inflammatory figure.
The inclusion of his image on a promotional card, unwittingly displayed by Mitoma and the young academy player, therefore triggered immediate anger among fans in China, where Imperial Japan’s military campaign caused millions of deaths and remains a sensitive historical wound.
Brighton shared the image on their social media channels
|Brighton/X
In a statement posted after removing the image, the club said: “The club sincerely apologises for any offence caused in China by a recent post about our Academy’s participation in the Premier League Christmas Truce Tournament.
"We hugely value our fans in China and had no intention of causing any offence.”
Sources indicated to the BBC that the post was the result of a “genuine error” within the academy setup, with officials unaware of the historical and geopolitical sensitivities surrounding Onoda. Their subsequent apology reflects that.
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Hiroo Onoda pictured in 1974
|GETTY
It remains unclear how the card was produced or selected for use in the social media content.
The original post had been intended to highlight Brighton’s Under-12 side, who qualified for the Christmas Truce Cup in Belgium after winning the Premier League Education Project.
The tournament, named after the 1914 ceasefires on the Western Front when British and German soldiers famously played informal football matches on Christmas Day, is designed to combine competition with historical education.
According to the Premier League, it “offers academy Under-12 players a chance to test their footballing talent against top European clubs while gaining an understanding of the historical events that shaped our world.”
Onoda’s own history, however, sharply contrasted with that intention.
Kaoru Mitoma is a key player for Brighton
|REUTERS
Serving in the Japanese army from 1942, he was officially declared dead in 1959 before emerging alive 15 years later when a former commanding officer was dispatched to order him to lay down arms.
His repatriation to Japan saw him briefly hailed as a symbol of wartime loyalty, but his reputation abroad, particularly in countries that suffered under Imperial Japanese occupation, remains associated with violence and denial.
Onoda died in Tokyo in January 2014, aged 91.
Brighton are now seeking to limit the diplomatic fallout from what they accept was a significant oversight, as they attempt to reassure supporters in China that no disrespect was intended.