Which Japanese general signed the 1945 surrender instrument for the country’s armed forces?

Yoshijiro Umezu signed the 1945 surrender instrument for Japan’s armed forces.

Umezu was Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff when Japan formally surrendered on 2 September 1945. He signed the document after Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu had signed for the Japanese government. His signature represented Japan’s military establishment.

Umezu had opposed surrender and was one of the senior officers who believed Japan should continue fighting. Nevertheless, he attended the ceremony aboard USS Missouri and followed Emperor Hirohito’s decision. His participation gave the military signature required for the surrender instrument.

Umezu’s role is often confused with that of General Douglas MacArthur, who signed for the Allied nations, or Admiral Chester Nimitz, who signed as the United States representative. Umezu was the Japanese military signatory, not an Allied commander.