Who signed Japan’s surrender first on behalf of its government and Emperor Hirohito?

Mamoru Shigemitsu signed Japan’s surrender first on behalf of its government and Emperor Hirohito.

Shigemitsu was Japan’s foreign minister and represented the civilian government at the ceremony aboard USS Missouri on September 2, 1945. He signed the Instrument of Surrender at approximately 9:04 a.m. Japan Standard Time, using the wording “By Command and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government.”

He was followed by General Yoshijiro Umezu, who signed for the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters. The distinction mattered: Shigemitsu represented the government and emperor, while Umezu represented the armed forces’ central command.

Shigemitsu had previously served as Japan’s ambassador to the Soviet Union and had signed the Tripartite Pact in 1940. His appearance at the ceremony did not mean that every Japanese military leader supported surrender; some officers opposed the decision and attempted to prevent the emperor’s broadcast before the surrender was completed.