Nine Allied nations signed Japan’s surrender instrument after the two Japanese signatories.
Following signatures by Mamoru Shigemitsu and Yoshijiro Umezu, representatives of nine Allied countries signed the document aboard USS Missouri. They represented the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
Douglas MacArthur signed first for the Allied powers, followed by Chester Nimitz for the United States. The other Allied representatives signed in sequence, reflecting the coalition that had fought Japan across the Asia-Pacific region.
The number can be confused with the total number of people who signed. Eleven Japanese officials attended as delegates, but only Shigemitsu and Umezu signed for Japan. The nine Allied signatures therefore refer to countries, not individual signatures or total participants. The ceremony lasted about 23 minutes and took effect at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time.