Which Allied commander presided over Japan's surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri?

Douglas MacArthur presided over Japan's surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri.

MacArthur served as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and directed the ceremony on September 2, 1945. He opened the proceedings, introduced the representatives, and signed the Instrument of Surrender for the Allied powers. His position gave him authority to accept Japan's capitulation on behalf of the nations fighting Japan.

Admiral Chester Nimitz signed immediately after MacArthur as the United States representative. Other Allied signatories followed, including representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

MacArthur later became the central authority of the Allied occupation of Japan. Under his command, the occupation introduced major political, legal, and social reforms, including a new constitution. The surrender ceremony therefore connected the end of wartime operations with the beginning of Japan's postwar reconstruction.