Chester Nimitz signed the 1945 Instrument of Surrender as the United States representative after MacArthur.
Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz signed the document at approximately 9:12 a.m. on September 2, 1945, aboard USS Missouri. General Douglas MacArthur had already signed as Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, accepting the surrender on behalf of the Allied nations.
Nimitz was the U.S. Navy commander who led the Pacific Ocean Areas during the war. His command oversaw major naval campaigns, including the battles of Midway, the Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf, although the Allied Pacific command structure also included MacArthur's separate Southwest Pacific Area.
After Nimitz signed, representatives of China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand added their signatures. Nimitz's role is sometimes confused with that of Admiral William Halsey, who commanded the U.S. Third Fleet in the waters surrounding the ceremony.