Nine Allied nations sent representatives to sign Japan’s Instrument of Surrender in 1945.
The countries were the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. General Douglas MacArthur signed first for the Allied powers as Supreme Commander, followed by the national representatives.
The Japanese delegation included eleven people, but only Mamoru Shigemitsu and Yoshijirō Umezu signed the document. The other Japanese delegates served as witnesses or advisers.
This arrangement reflected the international character of the Pacific War and the Allied occupation that followed. The ceremony was held aboard an American ship, but the document recorded the participation of a broad coalition. Separate regional surrender ceremonies later took place in locations including the Philippines, Korea, and Southeast Asia.