Who opened the formal Japanese surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay?

Douglas MacArthur opened the formal Japanese surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

MacArthur served as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and presided over the September 2, 1945, ceremony. He delivered opening remarks before Japanese representatives signed the surrender instrument and Allied representatives added their signatures.

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz signed as the representative of the United States after the Japanese signatories. Other Allied representatives included officials from China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

MacArthur’s role reflected the Allied command structure in the Pacific, but the ceremony was an international event rather than a purely American one. The signing formally ended hostilities between Japan and the Allied powers, although the occupation of Japan and the legal settlement of the war continued afterward.