What was the name of the Allied directive ordering Japanese forces to surrender to designated commanders?

The Allied directive ordering Japanese forces to surrender to designated commanders was General Order No. 1. General Douglas MacArthur issued it after Japan’s surrender, and Japan’s Imperial General Headquarters transmitted it to Japanese forces on 2 September 1945.

The order required Japanese units to cease hostilities, provide information about their military positions, and preserve equipment for disarmament. It also assigned surrender destinations to Japanese forces across the former Japanese empire, helping convert the general surrender into a series of organized local capitulations.

One important provision divided responsibility in Korea. Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel were directed to surrender to Soviet commanders, while forces south of the line surrendered to U.S. commanders. This wartime administrative decision contributed to Korea’s postwar division.

General Order No. 1 was different from the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The instrument was the formal capitulation document signed aboard USS Missouri; General Order No. 1 was the operational directive that implemented surrender across Japanese-held territories.