Which U.S. admiral signed Japan's 1945 surrender instrument after Douglas MacArthur?

Chester W. Nimitz signed Japan's 1945 surrender instrument as the United States representative after Douglas MacArthur.

MacArthur signed first in his role as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. Nimitz then signed on behalf of the United States, reflecting the separate national representation built into the ceremony. Nimitz was the U.S. Navy's Fleet Admiral and had commanded the Pacific Ocean Areas during much of the war.

Representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand signed after Nimitz. Their signatures showed that the surrender involved the wider Allied coalition rather than only the United States.

Nimitz is sometimes confused with Admiral William Halsey Jr., whose Third Fleet operated in the Pacific and whose flagship was nearby. Halsey did not sign the surrender instrument.