New Zealand’s representative signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender last at Tokyo Bay. Air Vice-Marshal Leonard M. Isitt signed for New Zealand during the September 2, 1945 ceremony.
The Allied signing sequence followed MacArthur and Nimitz with representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Isitt’s signature was recorded at about 9:22 a.m. Japan Standard Time.
The final signature did not mean New Zealand alone ended the war. The surrender was a collective Allied act, and MacArthur had already accepted it on behalf of the Allied powers. The ceremony concluded at approximately 9:25 a.m., after which the instrument formally took effect.