Eight Allied nations besides the United States sent signatories to Japan’s 1945 surrender ceremony.
After Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender for the Allied powers and Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz signed for the United States, representatives of eight other Allied nations signed the instrument. They represented China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
The count can be confusing because MacArthur signed on behalf of the Allied powers before the national representatives signed. Nimitz then signed as the U.S. representative, followed by the other eight countries. Thus, nine Allied governments besides MacArthur’s overall Allied command were represented by national signatories, but eight of those were not the United States.
The ceremony demonstrated that Japan’s surrender was not merely a bilateral agreement with the United States. It formally involved the principal Allied governments that had fought Japan or participated in the Pacific war’s final settlement.