Douglas MacArthur signed Japan’s surrender instrument aboard USS Missouri at 9:08 a.m. Tokyo time.
The ceremony began at 9:02 a.m., when MacArthur delivered opening remarks. Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for Japan’s government at 9:04, followed by Yoshijirō Umezu at 9:06. MacArthur then signed at 9:08 as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.
The exact sequence is recorded in accounts of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender and helps distinguish several nearby times associated with the event. Japanese delegates arrived at 8:56 a.m., MacArthur opened the ceremony at 9:02, and the proceedings concluded at about 9:25.
MacArthur’s signature was followed by the Allied representatives. Chester Nimitz signed for the United States at 9:12, and other national representatives signed in sequence. The ceremony was brief, carefully choreographed, and broadcast internationally.