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

General Order No. 1 was the Allied military order directing Japanese forces to surrender after V-J Day.

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, and Japan’s Imperial General Headquarters transmitted it to Japanese forces on September 2.

General Order No. 1 instructed Japanese units to cease hostilities, reveal military information, preserve equipment, and surrender to designated Allied commanders. It also outlined how Japanese forces in different regions would submit to American, Soviet, Chinese, British, and other Allied authorities.

One important consequence concerned Korea. Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel were ordered to surrender to Soviet forces, while those south of the line surrendered to American forces. The order therefore helped establish the military arrangements that preceded Korea’s postwar division, although it was not itself a peace treaty.