New Zealand’s representative signed Japan’s surrender instrument last in 1945.
Air Vice-Marshal Leonard M. Isitt signed for New Zealand at 9:22 a.m. Japan Standard Time aboard USS Missouri. His signature came after the representatives of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, and the Netherlands.
The ceremony began with the Japanese signatures, followed by General Douglas MacArthur for the Allied powers. The Allied representatives then signed in sequence, with Isitt completing the international signatures for the participating governments.
New Zealand had contributed naval, air, and land forces to the war against Japan and had fought in the Pacific and Southeast Asian theatres. Its presence at the surrender reflected the country’s role in the Allied war effort.
The ceremony ended at 9:25 a.m. The short interval between the final signature and the official conclusion helps explain why contemporary accounts sometimes list signing times differently by a minute or two, depending on timekeeping and rounding.