At what time did Mamoru Shigemitsu first sign Japan's surrender document in 1945?

Mamoru Shigemitsu first signed Japan’s surrender document at 9:04 a.m. Japan Standard Time.

Shigemitsu was the Japanese foreign minister and signed on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government. His signature began the formal signing sequence aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945.

General Yoshijirō Umezu signed two minutes later, at 9:06 a.m., for Imperial General Headquarters. Douglas MacArthur then accepted the surrender at 9:08 a.m. The Allied representatives followed in a prescribed order, with Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz signing for the United States at 9:12 a.m.

The 9:04 time should not be confused with the ceremony’s closing time. The proceedings officially ended at 9:25 a.m., after all signatures and MacArthur’s concluding remarks. These precise times come from the recorded sequence of the ceremony and help distinguish the individual acts within the larger event.