General Order No. 1 directed Japanese forces to surrender to designated Allied commanders, disclose their military positions, 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. Douglas MacArthur then issued it to Japanese representatives after the surrender, and Japan’s Imperial General Headquarters transmitted it to Japanese forces on September 2.
The order did more than establish military disarmament. It outlined which Allied commanders would receive Japanese surrenders across the former Japanese Empire. It also specified different surrender authorities in Korea: forces north of the 38th parallel surrendered to Soviet commanders, while forces south of it surrendered to U.S. commanders.
It is sometimes confused with the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The instrument formally recorded Japan’s capitulation; General Order No. 1 gave operational instructions for carrying it out.