Who signed Japan's World War II surrender instrument first for the Japanese government?

Mamoru Shigemitsu was the first Japanese representative to sign Japan's World War II surrender instrument.

Shigemitsu was Japan's foreign minister and signed at 9:04 a.m. Japan Standard Time aboard USS Missouri. His signature was made by command and on behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government.

General Yoshijirō Umezu signed next, representing the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters. The distinction mattered because the surrender document represented both the civilian government and the military command structure that had directed Japan's wartime forces.

Shigemitsu wore formal diplomatic attire and used a cane after losing a leg in an earlier attack. The Japanese delegation included eleven representatives, but only Shigemitsu and Umezu signed the document.