Which U.S. admiral signed Japan's Instrument of Surrender for the United States aboard USS Missouri?

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz signed Japan's Instrument of Surrender for the United States aboard USS Missouri.

Nimitz signed after General Douglas MacArthur, who accepted the surrender as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. The ceremony took place in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, and included representatives from the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Nimitz was the U.S. Navy's principal commander in the Pacific during World War II. His signature represented the United States as one of the Allied powers, while MacArthur's signature represented the broader Allied command.

This detail is often confused with the identities of other senior American commanders present in the Pacific. Admiral William Halsey commanded the U.S. Third Fleet around the ceremony, but Nimitz was the U.S. signatory on the surrender document.