Who presided over Japan’s formal surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay in 1945?

Douglas MacArthur presided over Japan’s formal surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay in 1945. He served as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers during the ceremony.

MacArthur opened the proceedings aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. He invited the Japanese representatives to sign the Instrument of Surrender and then directed the Allied representatives to add their signatures. His role reflected the United States’ leading position in the occupation and administration of Japan.

MacArthur had commanded Allied forces in the Southwest Pacific Area and had returned to the Philippines in 1944 after promising to return. After Japan surrendered, he supervised the Allied occupation and major political, legal, and economic changes in Japan.

MacArthur was not the only senior American present. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz signed for the United States, while MacArthur signed as the Allied supreme commander. This distinction explains why both names appear in accounts of the ceremony.