What was the number of the U.S. order directing Japanese forces to surrender after World War II?

The U.S. order directing Japanese forces to surrender was General Order No. 1.

The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff prepared General Order No. 1, and President Harry Truman approved it on 17 August 1945. General Douglas MacArthur issued it to the Japanese representative after the surrender decision.

The order instructed Japanese forces to surrender to designated Allied commanders, reveal their military deployments, and preserve equipment for later disarmament. It also specified how Japanese forces in different regions would report to Allied authorities.

One important consequence concerned Korea. Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel were directed to surrender to Soviet commanders, while those south of the parallel were directed to surrender to U.S. commanders. The order therefore helped establish the immediate military division that preceded the later political division of Korea.