Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the surrender document for Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese Government. He was Japan’s foreign minister and the first Japanese signatory at the ceremony aboard USS Missouri.
Shigemitsu signed at 9:04 a.m. Tokyo time using wording that stated he acted by command and on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government. General Yoshijiro Umezu signed two minutes later for Imperial General Headquarters, representing the military command.
Shigemitsu had served in Japanese diplomacy for decades and was known internationally before the surrender. He had lost a leg in an assassination attempt in Shanghai in 1932 and was often recognized by his prosthetic limb and cane.
His signature represented Japan’s civilian government, while Umezu’s represented the armed forces. This division reflected the document’s effort to bind both the government and military authorities to the surrender terms.