Which U.S. admiral signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender immediately after Douglas MacArthur?

Chester W. Nimitz signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender immediately after Douglas MacArthur.

Nimitz signed at about 9:12 a.m. on September 2, 1945, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. He signed as the representative of the United States, while MacArthur had signed moments earlier in his separate capacity as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers.

Nimitz was Fleet Admiral of the United States Navy and had served as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas during the war. Under his leadership, American naval forces fought major campaigns across the Pacific, including the battles of Midway, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf.

The distinction between MacArthur and Nimitz is a frequent source of confusion. MacArthur signed first for the Allied powers as a whole; Nimitz signed next for the United States specifically. Representatives of China, Britain, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand followed.