Each signatory signed two copies of the Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri.
The two unconditional instruments were prepared for different recipients. One was a leather-bound copy for the Allied forces, while the other was a canvas-backed copy for Japan. The same sequence of Japanese and Allied signatures was placed on both documents.
Using two originals ensured that both sides possessed an official signed record of the capitulation. The documents were physically distinct, rather than being one original and a later photocopy. This detail is easy to miss because photographs usually show only the copy positioned before the representatives.
Additional facsimiles and later reproductions were also made for governments, institutions, and private recipients. Those later copies should not be confused with the two instruments signed during the ceremony itself.