Who signed Japan’s Instrument of Surrender first, representing the emperor and government?

Mamoru Shigemitsu signed Japan’s Instrument of Surrender first, representing the emperor and the Japanese government.

Shigemitsu was Japan’s foreign minister when the surrender ceremony took place aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. He signed at about 9:04 a.m. Japan Standard Time, using wording that stated he acted by command and on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government.

General Yoshijiro Umezu signed next for Imperial General Headquarters. This distinction matters because Shigemitsu represented the civilian government and emperor, while Umezu represented Japan’s military command structure. The two signatures together showed that both political and military authorities accepted the surrender.

Shigemitsu had also served as foreign minister earlier in the war and later returned to political life. He was convicted at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East but was released from prison in 1950. He later became foreign minister again and signed Japan’s peace treaty in 1951.