At Japan’s 1945 surrender ceremony, who signed first for the Japanese government?

At Japan’s 1945 surrender ceremony, Mamoru Shigemitsu signed first for the Japanese government.

Shigemitsu was Japan’s foreign minister and signed the instrument “by command and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government.” He signed at approximately 9:04 a.m. Tokyo time on September 2, 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

General Yoshijirō Umezu signed next, representing the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and the armed forces. The two men were Japan’s official signatories, although nine other Japanese delegates attended the ceremony as witnesses or advisers.

Shigemitsu had also been a prominent diplomat before the surrender. His presence emphasized that the document represented the Japanese government, while Umezu’s signature represented the military command. The two roles are sometimes confused because both men signed the same surrender instrument only minutes apart.