Eight Allied countries signed Japan’s surrender document after the U.S. representatives.
General Douglas MacArthur signed first for the Allied powers, followed by Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz as the United States representative. Representatives of eight other Allied nations then signed: China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
The arrangement reflected the broad coalition that had fought Japan. Chinese General Xu Yongchang signed for China, while Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser represented the United Kingdom. General Kuzma Derevyanko signed for the Soviet Union, and senior officers represented the other participating countries.
The document contained separate copies for the Allied powers and Japan. Each signature established that the respective Allied government accepted Japan’s surrender. The ceremony’s seating plan and signing order were arranged carefully so that the participating nations appeared in a deliberate diplomatic sequence.
The number eight refers to the additional Allied national representatives after MacArthur and Nimitz, not to the total number of people who signed. That distinction prevents confusion when different accounts count the signatories in different ways.