What was General Order No. 1, issued after Japan's 1945 surrender, primarily used to direct?

General Order No. 1 was primarily used to direct Japanese forces' surrender after Japan's 1945 capitulation. It instructed Japanese troops to surrender to designated Allied commanders, disclose military information, and preserve equipment for disarmament.

The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff prepared the order, and President Harry Truman approved it on August 17, 1945. General Douglas MacArthur issued it to Japanese representatives, and Japan's Imperial General Headquarters transmitted it to Japanese forces on September 2.

The order also organized the geographic surrender of Japanese forces. In Korea, Japanese troops north of the 38th parallel surrendered to Soviet forces, while those south of it surrendered to U.S. forces. That arrangement contributed to the later division of Korea.

General Order No. 1 was not the same document as the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The instrument formally accepted the Allied terms; General Order No. 1 translated that surrender into practical instructions for troops across the Japanese empire.