Mamoru Shigemitsu was the first person to sign Japan’s surrender instrument aboard USS Missouri.
Shigemitsu signed at about 9:04 a.m. on September 2, 1945, on behalf of Emperor Hirohito and the Japanese government. General Yoshijirō Umezu, chief of the Army General Staff, signed shortly afterward on behalf of Imperial General Headquarters. Their signatures represented the civil government and military command respectively.
Shigemitsu had previously served as Japan’s foreign minister and had been involved in wartime diplomacy. He attended the ceremony wearing formal diplomatic attire and using a cane because of a wartime injury. The Japanese delegation contained eleven representatives, but only Shigemitsu and Umezu signed the instrument.
Shigemitsu is sometimes confused with Umezu because both signed for Japan. Umezu was the second Japanese signatory and represented the military headquarters. General Douglas MacArthur accepted the surrender for the Allied powers before the Allied national representatives added their signatures.