Nine Allied countries sent separate representatives to sign Japan’s Instrument of Surrender.
The countries were the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Their representatives signed after General Douglas MacArthur, who signed as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers rather than as a separate national delegate in that sequence.
The arrangement reflected the multinational character of the war against Japan. Several of the participating countries had fought Japan directly, while others contributed forces, ships, air units, or other resources across the Asia-Pacific theater.
The nine-country total can cause confusion because the ceremony also included MacArthur and two Japanese signatories, Mamoru Shigemitsu and Yoshijiro Umezu. Counting every principal signer produces a different number. The question’s total refers specifically to the Allied nations that supplied separate representatives after MacArthur’s signature.