Nine Allied representatives signed Japan’s surrender instrument after Douglas MacArthur.
MacArthur signed first for the Allied powers as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. He was followed by representatives of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
The United States representative was Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. The other signatories included General Hsu Yong-chang for China, Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser for Britain, Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko for the Soviet Union, and representatives of five additional Allied countries.
The number nine can be confused with the total number of Allied governments represented because MacArthur signed separately before them. It also excludes the two Japanese signatories, Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijirō Umezu. The carefully arranged order reflected the Allied command structure and the political importance of each participating government.