Who signed Japan’s surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers during the 1945 ceremony?

Douglas MacArthur signed Japan’s surrender on behalf of the Allied Powers during the 1945 ceremony.

MacArthur was the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers and opened the ceremony aboard USS Missouri at 9:02 a.m. He signed the instrument in that capacity after the two Japanese representatives had signed. His position gave him authority to accept the surrender for the coalition, while separate Allied representatives signed afterward for their own governments.

Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz signed immediately after MacArthur as the United States representative. Representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand then added their signatures.

MacArthur became the central authority of the Allied occupation of Japan. He arrived in Tokyo on 30 August 1945, and the occupation formally began two days earlier with the landing of American personnel at Atsugi. He remained Supreme Commander until 1951, overseeing major political, legal, and economic reforms.