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

Douglas MacArthur signed Japan’s surrender first for the Allied nations in 1945.

MacArthur was Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and presided over the surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. He signed two copies of the Instrument of Surrender, using five pens in a carefully arranged order. One pen was later given to the United States Military Academy at West Point and another to the MacArthur Memorial.

MacArthur signed on behalf of the Allied nations, while Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz signed as the United States representative. Representatives of other Allied countries followed, including the United Kingdom, China, the Soviet Union, France, Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

MacArthur’s role did not mean he was the sole political decision-maker for every Allied government. His authority at the ceremony came from his position as Supreme Commander and from the Allied surrender arrangements.