What was the name of the Allied directive that ordered Japanese forces to surrender by region?

General Order No. 1 was the Allied directive that ordered Japanese forces to surrender by region.

The order was prepared by the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and approved by President Harry Truman on August 17, 1945. General Douglas MacArthur issued it after Japan’s surrender announcement and the order was transmitted to Japanese Imperial General Headquarters.

It instructed Japanese forces to surrender to designated Allied commanders, reveal military positions, preserve equipment, and stop operations. It also established how Japanese forces in territories outside the home islands would submit to different Allied commands.

One important consequence concerned Korea. Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel were directed to surrender to Soviet forces, while those south of the line surrendered to United States forces. The order therefore helped shape the military division of Korea at the end of the war.