LEAD: The Yamashita treasure, a hoard of stolen gold and jewelry said to have been hidden in the Philippines by a Japanese general during World War II, has the reputation of laying a curse on anyone possessing it. That did not stop John K. Singlaub, the retired American Army general, from requesting permission to hunt […]

Yamashita’s Gold is the name given to the loot worth tens of billions of dollars stolen in Southeast Asia by Japanese forces during World War II and hidden in caves, tunnels and underground complexes in The Philippines.
The “gold” reportedly included many different kinds of valuables looted from banks, depositories, temples, churches, other commercial premises, mosques, […]

Rumours of secret maps, symbols carved in rocks and booby-trapped underground chambers filled with looted gold have lured treasure hunters to the Philippines for decades. They are drawn by a legend that Japanese occupying forces stashed away billions of dollars’ worth of bullion and precious artefacts looted from across Asia when they realised their empire […]