General Order No. 1 directed Japanese forces where to surrender to Allied commanders after Japan’s 1945 surrender. It was approved by President Harry Truman on August 17 and issued by General Douglas MacArthur.
The order assigned surrender areas throughout the former Japanese empire. Japanese forces in the main Japanese islands, the Philippines, and parts of Southeast Asia were directed to designated American or Allied commanders. In Korea, the 38th parallel divided surrender responsibilities: Japanese forces north of it surrendered to Soviet forces, while those south of it surrendered to American forces.
General Order No. 1 also required Japanese commanders to reveal military information and preserve equipment for disarmament. It was not the same document as the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The instrument was signed by government and Allied representatives on September 2; General Order No. 1 translated the surrender into practical military instructions for forces spread across Asia and the Pacific.