Who approved General Order No. 1, which directed Japanese forces where to surrender in 1945?

Harry S. Truman approved General Order No. 1, which directed Japanese forces where to surrender in 1945.

The order was prepared by the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff and approved by President Truman on August 17, 1945. Douglas MacArthur then issued it to Japan after the surrender announcement. Japanese Imperial General Headquarters transmitted the instructions to Japanese forces on September 2, the day the formal instrument was signed.

General Order No. 1 required Japanese forces to surrender to designated Allied commanders, reveal their military deployments, and preserve equipment for disarmament. It also established surrender arrangements across the territories controlled by Japan.

One important consequence concerned Korea. Japanese forces north of the 38th parallel were ordered to surrender to Soviet forces, while those south of the line surrendered to American forces. That wartime administrative division later became the basis for the separate occupation zones that developed into North and South Korea.