Who approved General Order No. 1 for Japan’s surrender on August 17, 1945?

Harry S. Truman approved General Order No. 1 for Japan’s surrender on August 17, 1945.

The order was prepared by the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and approved by President Truman. General Douglas MacArthur later issued it as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, and Japan’s Imperial General Headquarters transmitted it to Japanese forces after the formal surrender.

General Order No. 1 instructed Japanese forces to surrender to designated Allied commanders, disclose military deployments, and preserve equipment for disarmament. It also assigned surrender areas across the Japanese Empire and territories under Japanese control.

One important consequence involved Korea. Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel were directed to surrender to Soviet commanders, while forces south of that line surrendered to American commanders. The order therefore helped establish the military division that shaped Korea’s postwar history.