What was the name of the U.S. order that directed Japanese forces to surrender after World War II?

General Order No. 1 directed Japanese forces to surrender after World War II.

The order was prepared by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff and approved by President Harry Truman on 17 August 1945. General Douglas MacArthur issued it after Japan’s surrender decision, and Japanese Imperial General Headquarters transmitted it to Japanese forces on 2 September.

The order instructed Japanese forces to surrender to designated Allied commanders, disclose military information and deployments, and preserve equipment for disarmament. It also assigned surrender areas across Japan’s former military empire 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 it surrendered to U.S. forces. This arrangement contributed to the postwar division of Korea and the emergence of separate occupation zones.