Nine Allied nations had representatives sign Japan’s surrender instrument aboard USS Missouri.
The participating Allied governments were the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Their representatives signed after MacArthur and Nimitz.
The sequence reflected the multinational character of the war against Japan. Some signatories represented governments with major forces in the Pacific, while others represented countries whose territories or armed forces had been directly affected by Japanese occupation.
The number nine refers to Allied national representatives, not the total number of people who signed. Japan supplied two official signatories, and MacArthur signed separately as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.