Which U.S. admiral signed Japan’s surrender document as the American representative?

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz signed Japan’s surrender document as the American representative. He signed after General Douglas MacArthur, who signed on behalf of the Allied nations.

Nimitz was Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas during most of the war against Japan. Under his command, American forces carried out major naval and amphibious campaigns across the Pacific, including the Central Pacific advance toward the Japanese home islands.

At the September 2, 1945, ceremony aboard USS Missouri, Nimitz represented the United States rather than signing as the overall Allied presiding officer. Representatives of other Allied countries signed after him, including delegates from China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Nimitz is sometimes confused with Admiral William Halsey Jr., whose Third Fleet was also present in Tokyo Bay. Halsey commanded major naval operations, but Nimitz was the U.S. signatory on the surrender document.