Two Japanese representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard USS Missouri.
Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed first, acting on behalf of the Emperor and the Japanese government. General Yoshijirō Umezu, Chief of the Imperial General Staff, signed second on behalf of Japanese Imperial General Headquarters. Their signatures represented both the civilian government and the military command structure.
Nine other Japanese delegates attended the ceremony, but they did not sign the instrument. The full Japanese delegation contained eleven people, including officers and Foreign Ministry officials. The distinction between attendees and signatories is an important detail in accounts of the ceremony.
The two signatures came shortly after the ceremony began on 2 September 1945. Allied representatives then signed for their governments, and the document became the formal instrument ending Japan’s hostilities with the Allied powers.