Which Soviet official signed Japan’s surrender instrument aboard USS Missouri?

Kuzma Derevyanko signed Japan’s surrender instrument for the Soviet Union aboard USS Missouri.

Derevyanko was a Soviet lieutenant general who represented the USSR at the 2 September 1945 ceremony in Tokyo Bay. He signed after the representatives of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, and the Netherlands, and before New Zealand’s representative.

The Soviet Union had entered the war against Japan in August 1945, declaring war on 8 August and launching its offensive in Manchuria the next day. Its participation at the surrender ceremony therefore reflected the Soviet Union’s role among the victorious Allies.

Derevyanko is less widely known than Soviet commanders such as Georgy Zhukov, but Zhukov did not sign Japan’s surrender document. The signatory was specifically chosen to represent the Soviet government and armed forces at the ceremony.