Which Allied admiral signed Japan’s 1945 surrender as the United States representative?

Chester W. Nimitz signed Japan’s 1945 surrender as the United States representative.

Nimitz was the U.S. Fleet Admiral and Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet during the war. At the September 2, 1945, ceremony aboard USS Missouri, General Douglas MacArthur signed first for the Allied powers, and Nimitz then signed as the representative of the United States.

Nimitz’s signature followed the Japanese signatures and MacArthur’s signature. Representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand signed afterward for their governments.

Nimitz had directed major American naval operations across the Pacific, including the campaigns around the Marshall Islands, Marianas, and Philippines. His role at the surrender reflected the U.S. Navy’s central responsibility for the Pacific theater, while MacArthur represented the broader Allied command.