Who signed Japan’s surrender for the United States at the Tokyo Bay ceremony?

Chester W. Nimitz signed Japan’s surrender for the United States at the Tokyo Bay ceremony.

Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz represented the United States after General Douglas MacArthur signed as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers. Nimitz signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender at about 9:12 a.m. on September 2, 1945, aboard USS Missouri.

Nimitz had commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Ocean Areas during much of the war against Japan. His position made him one of the most important American naval leaders at the ceremony. MacArthur signed first for the Allied powers, then Nimitz signed specifically for the United States.

The sequence of signatures reflected the multinational nature of the surrender. Representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand followed. Nimitz’s role is sometimes confused with that of Admiral William Halsey, whose Third Fleet included Missouri. Halsey was not the American signatory on the document.