At Japan’s 2 September 1945 surrender ceremony, Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the Instrument of Surrender for Japan.
Shigemitsu was Japan’s foreign minister and represented the Japanese government as a civilian plenipotentiary. He signed the document aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, acting by command of Emperor Hirohito and on behalf of the Japanese government.
Japan’s military headquarters had a separate representative: General Yoshijirō Umezu, chief of the Imperial General Headquarters. Umezu signed after Shigemitsu, which sometimes causes confusion over who represented which part of the Japanese state.
The ceremony began shortly after 9 a.m. on 2 September 1945. Shigemitsu’s signature was followed by those of Allied representatives, including General Douglas MacArthur. The document formally recorded Japan’s acceptance of the Allied surrender terms and marked the official end of World War II hostilities with Japan.