Who signed the Japanese surrender document for the Allied powers in 1945?

Douglas MacArthur signed the Japanese surrender document for the Allied powers in 1945. As Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers, he presided over the ceremony aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.

MacArthur signed first on the Allied side, describing himself as signing on behalf of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz then signed as the American representative.

MacArthur had commanded major Allied operations in the Southwest Pacific Area and had returned to the Philippines in 1944 after being forced to leave in 1942. His role at the surrender ceremony gave the event a powerful symbolic connection to the Pacific War.

The Japanese signatures came from Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu. The ceremony ended at 9:25 a.m. on September 2, 1945.