Who accepted Japan’s surrender and signed first for the Allied powers in 1945?

Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s surrender and signed first for the Allied powers in 1945.

MacArthur presided over the ceremony as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. He signed the instrument at approximately 9:08 a.m. on 2 September 1945, after the two Japanese representatives had signed.

MacArthur had commanded Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific Area and had returned to the Philippines in October 1944. After Japan’s surrender, he became the leading authority in the Allied occupation of Japan. His role combined military command with responsibility for supervising major political and institutional reforms.

Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz signed immediately after MacArthur as the representative of the United States. Other Allied representatives then signed for China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. MacArthur’s position at the ceremony is why photographs often show him standing centrally behind the signing table.