What was the name of the order directing Japanese forces to surrender after V-J Day?

General Order No. 1 directed Japanese forces to surrender after V-J Day. The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff prepared it, and President Harry Truman approved it on 17 August 1945.

Douglas MacArthur issued the order to Japanese representatives after the surrender announcement, and Japanese Imperial General Headquarters transmitted it to Japanese forces on 2 September. It required commanders to disclose military deployments, surrender to designated Allied commanders, and preserve equipment for disarmament.

The order also assigned surrender zones across the Japanese empire. Japanese forces in different regions were directed to surrender to American, Soviet, British, Chinese, Australian, or other Allied commanders. These instructions turned Japan’s political decision to surrender into practical military orders.

One major consequence involved Korea. Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel were ordered to surrender to Soviet forces, while those south of it surrendered to American forces. That temporary operational boundary became the basis for the postwar division of Korea and the later establishment of two Korean states.