Douglas MacArthur signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on behalf of the Allied powers in 1945.
MacArthur was the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and had commanded Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific Area. At the Tokyo Bay ceremony, he signed at 9:08 a.m., after Mamoru Shigemitsu and Yoshijirō Umezu had signed for Japan.
MacArthur’s signature represented the coalition rather than only the United States. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz then signed for the United States, followed by representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
MacArthur delivered brief opening and closing remarks at the ceremony. His role after the signing expanded further because he directed the Allied occupation of Japan as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, overseeing major political, military, and social reforms.