Who signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender as Japan's civilian representative in 1945?

Mamoru Shigemitsu signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender as Japan’s civilian representative in 1945.

Shigemitsu was Japan’s foreign minister in the Higashikuni administration during the final weeks of the war. At the September 2 ceremony, he signed “by command and in behalf of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese Government.” His signature came before that of General Yoshijirō Umezu, who represented Imperial General Headquarters.

Shigemitsu’s role is sometimes confused with that of other Japanese officials involved in the surrender process. Shigenori Tōgō had been foreign minister earlier in 1945, while Kantarō Suzuki was prime minister when Japan made its decision to surrender. Neither signed the final instrument aboard Missouri.

After the war, Shigemitsu was convicted by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East but later returned to political life. He again served as foreign minister in the 1950s.