Who signed Japan’s surrender instrument first aboard USS Missouri in 1945?

Mamoru Shigemitsu signed Japan’s surrender instrument first aboard USS Missouri in 1945.

Shigemitsu was Japan’s foreign minister and signed at 9:04 a.m. on September 2, 1945. His signature represented the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government. General Yoshijirō Umezu signed next for Japan’s Imperial General Headquarters.

The ceremony took place on the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. The Allied representatives then signed, beginning with General Douglas MacArthur and Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz of the United States.

Shigemitsu is sometimes confused with Umezu because both were Japanese signatories. Shigemitsu wore formal diplomatic attire and used Japan’s government authority, while Umezu represented the military headquarters. Their signatures completed Japan’s formal acceptance of the Allied surrender terms.