Who signed the World War II surrender instrument for Japan’s armed forces?

Yoshijirō Umezu signed the World War II surrender instrument for Japan’s armed forces.

Umezu was Chief of the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff when Japan formally surrendered on September 2, 1945. He signed after Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, who represented the Japanese government. This division of signatures reflected the separate civilian and military authority represented at the ceremony.

Umezu had opposed surrender during the final days of the war, but he ultimately followed the Emperor’s decision. His signature bound Japan’s military command to the document’s terms, which required Japanese forces to cease hostilities and comply with Allied orders.

Umezu was later tried by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. He was convicted of conspiracy, waging aggressive war, and conventional war crimes, receiving a life sentence. He died in prison in 1949. He is sometimes confused with Hideki Tōjō, Japan’s wartime prime minister, who had resigned in 1944 and did not sign the surrender document.