Nine Allied nations were represented at Japan’s formal surrender ceremony in 1945.
The signatories came from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. These representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945.
General Douglas MacArthur signed first for the Allied powers, followed by Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz for the United States. Representatives of the other Allied countries then signed in sequence. The arrangement reflected both the major Allied powers and countries that had fought Japan across the Pacific, Asia, and other theaters.
Japan’s delegation included Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, representing the government, and General Yoshijirō Umezu, representing the armed forces. The ceremony was carefully organized, with separate instruments prepared for the Allied forces and Japan. The nine-nation count refers to the Allied governments represented, not the total number of people present or the number of ships surrounding the battleship.