Nine Allied nations, besides MacArthur, signed Japan’s surrender instrument in 1945.
The nine national representatives were from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Their signatures followed MacArthur’s signature as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.
MacArthur’s position was distinct from that of the national representatives. He accepted the surrender on behalf of the Allied powers, while Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz signed for the United States. The other eight national representatives then signed for their respective governments.
The sequence reflected the coalition that had fought Japan across the Asia-Pacific region. General Xu Yongchang signed for China, Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser for Britain, Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko for the Soviet Union, and senior officers represented the remaining nations.
The Japanese side also had eleven delegates present, but only Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijirō Umezu signed the document. The ceremony therefore involved more participants than the number of actual national signatures might suggest.