Who accepted Japan’s formal World War II surrender on behalf of the Allied powers in 1945?

Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s formal World War II surrender on behalf of the Allied powers in 1945.

MacArthur served as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and presided over the surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945. He signed the Instrument of Surrender in that official capacity after the two Japanese representatives had signed.

His short opening remarks emphasized that the ceremony should be conducted with sincerity and dignity. MacArthur then invited representatives of the Allied nations to sign, including U.S. Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, China’s General Hsu Yung-chang, Britain’s Admiral Bruce Fraser, and Soviet Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko.

MacArthur later directed the Allied occupation of Japan. He worked closely with Emperor Hirohito, who was not prosecuted after the war and remained emperor. MacArthur is sometimes confused with Nimitz, who signed for the United States specifically, while MacArthur signed for the Allied powers as a whole.

The ceremony ended at approximately 9:25 a.m. Tokyo time.