President Harry Truman approved General Order No. 1 for Japan’s surrender on 17 August 1945.
The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff prepared the order after Japan accepted the Allied terms. Douglas MacArthur later issued it to Japanese representatives, and Japanese Imperial General Headquarters transmitted it to Japan’s forces on 2 September.
The order instructed Japanese forces to surrender to designated Allied commanders, disclose their military deployments, and preserve equipment for disarmament. It also established how Japanese forces in different territories would hand over their arms to American, Soviet, Chinese, British, and other Allied authorities.
General Order No. 1 was important because Japan’s forces were spread across a vast area, from China and Korea to Southeast Asia and Pacific islands. Its provisions helped organize the practical process of disarmament and occupation. The order also helped produce the later division of Korea at the 38th parallel.