Who signed Japan’s Instrument of Surrender first on behalf of Japan?

Mamoru Shigemitsu was the first Japanese representative to sign Japan’s Instrument of Surrender. He signed at 9:04 a.m. on September 2, 1945, aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

Shigemitsu was Japan’s foreign minister and signed “by command and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government.” His signature represented the civilian government and Emperor Hirohito. General Yoshijiro Umezu signed second, representing the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and the armed forces.

Shigemitsu had previously served as Japan’s ambassador to the United Kingdom and had been involved in wartime diplomacy. He was also one of the Japanese officials who signed the surrender document at the ceremony’s central table.

The two Japanese signatures are sometimes mixed up because both men were principal representatives. Shigemitsu represented the emperor and government, while Umezu represented military headquarters. After the Japanese delegation signed, MacArthur and delegates of the Allied powers added their signatures.