Who approved General Order No. 1, issued after Japan’s surrender in 1945?

Harry Truman approved General Order No. 1 after Japan’s surrender in 1945.

The United States Joint Chiefs of Staff prepared the order, and President Harry Truman approved it on August 17, 1945. General Douglas MacArthur then issued it to the Japanese government and military authorities following the formal surrender.

The order directed Japanese forces to surrender to specified Allied commanders, disclose military information, preserve equipment, and obey occupation instructions. It also assigned surrender responsibilities in different regions. Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel in Korea were to surrender to Soviet commanders, while those south of it were to surrender to American commanders.

General Order No. 1 was not the same document as the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The instrument formally recorded Japan’s capitulation; General Order No. 1 translated the surrender into detailed military instructions across the former Japanese empire.