Nine Allied countries signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender in 1945.
The Allied signatories represented the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Their representatives signed after the Japanese government and military representatives had completed their signatures.
The ceremony therefore involved more countries than the most prominent photographs may suggest. General Douglas MacArthur signed for the Allied powers, followed by Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz for the United States. The other Allied representatives signed for their respective governments or dominions.
The number nine refers to Allied countries and governments represented as signatories, not to the total number of people on the deck or the number of signatures. Japan’s delegation included two principal signatories: Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu for the government and General Yoshijirō Umezu for the armed forces. The ceremony symbolized the broad coalition that had fought Japan across the Pacific and Asia.