Admiral Sir Bruce Fraser signed Japan’s Instrument of Surrender for the United Kingdom aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. He represented Britain among the Allied signatories at the Tokyo Bay ceremony.
Fraser was commander-in-chief of the British Pacific Fleet, known as the British Pacific Fleet’s senior naval commander during the final campaigns against Japan. His signature followed those of General Douglas MacArthur for the Allied powers and Admiral Chester Nimitz for the United States.
The British signature is sometimes mistakenly attributed to Admiral Andrew Cunningham, Britain’s senior naval officer in Europe, or to commanders who signed other wartime documents. Fraser’s role reflected Britain’s major naval contribution in the Pacific during 1945, including carrier operations alongside the U.S. Navy.