Which Japanese foreign minister signed the surrender instrument in Tokyo Bay?

Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the surrender instrument as Japan’s foreign minister in Tokyo Bay.

Shigemitsu was one of two Japanese officials who signed the document on behalf of the Japanese government. The other principal Japanese signatory was General Yoshijirō Umezu, who represented the armed forces. Shigemitsu signed while wearing a formal morning coat and using a cane because he had lost a leg in an earlier assassination attempt.

The ceremony took place aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. Shigemitsu’s signature formally committed the Japanese government to the Allied surrender terms. The document required Japan to accept the Potsdam Declaration and end military resistance.

Shigemitsu had served as Japan’s foreign minister during the final stage of the war and later held the office again during the postwar period. His role at the ceremony is distinct from that of Shigenori Tōgō, who was foreign minister during the diplomatic decision to accept the surrender terms but did not sign the final instrument.