Which Allied commander signed Japan’s surrender document first for the Allies in 1945?

Douglas MacArthur signed Japan’s surrender document first for the Allies on September 2, 1945. He signed as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers during the ceremony aboard USS Missouri.

MacArthur used five pens, giving them to people including his wife Jean, his son Arthur, and representatives of the U.S. Military Academy and the state of Arkansas. The first pen ran out of ink before the signature was completed, so he used another. His signing formally accepted Japan’s capitulation on behalf of the Allied powers.

Admiral Chester Nimitz then signed for the United States. Representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, and the Netherlands followed. MacArthur had commanded Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific and returned to the Philippines in 1944 after retreating there in 1942. As occupation leader, he oversaw Japan’s demilitarization and major political reforms until the occupation ended in 1952.