Which Japanese Army general signed the Instrument of Surrender for Japan's military in 1945?

General Yoshijirō Umezu signed the Instrument of Surrender for Japan's military in 1945.

Umezu was Chief of the Army General Staff and represented the Imperial Japanese General Headquarters at the ceremony aboard USS Missouri. He signed after Mamoru Shigemitsu, who represented the Japanese government as foreign minister.

The pairing was significant because Japan's surrender required both governmental and military authority. Umezu's signature committed Japan's armed forces to the terms accepted by the government and confirmed the end of organized hostilities with the Allied powers.

Umezu had opposed surrender within Japan's wartime leadership, but Emperor Hirohito ordered the military to comply. His role is sometimes confused with that of War Minister Korechika Anami, who was involved in the final political crisis but did not sign at Missouri. Umezu remained a prisoner after the war and died in 1949.