Yoshijirō Umezu signed the surrender instrument for Imperial General Headquarters after Mamoru Shigemitsu. He signed aboard USS Missouri on 2 September 1945 as Japan’s senior military representative at the ceremony.
Umezu was Chief of the Army General Staff, one of the highest-ranking positions in Japan’s wartime military leadership. His signature represented the Imperial Japanese General Headquarters, while Shigemitsu’s signature represented the Emperor and the Japanese government.
The distinction between the two signatures mattered because Japan’s surrender required both political and military authority. Umezu had been one of the officers who opposed surrender during the final crisis, but Emperor Hirohito ordered the government and military to accept the Allied terms.
Umezu and Shigemitsu were the only Japanese delegates who signed the document. Nine other Japanese representatives attended, including officers and Foreign Ministry officials. After their signatures, Douglas MacArthur and representatives of the Allied powers signed, completing the formal surrender.