Who was Japan’s prime minister when the formal surrender ceremony took place on September 2, 1945?

Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni was Japan’s prime minister when the formal surrender ceremony took place on September 2, 1945.

Higashikuni became prime minister on August 17, two days after Hirohito’s surrender announcement. His cabinet was responsible for managing the immediate transition from wartime government to surrender, demobilization, and Allied occupation.

He was a member of the Japanese imperial family and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. His appointment was intended to reassure the public and preserve government continuity during a period of military defeat and political uncertainty.

Higashikuni did not sign the surrender document. Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the Japanese government, while General Yoshijirō Umezu signed for Imperial General Headquarters. Higashikuni’s cabinet resigned on October 9, 1945, after a dispute with Allied occupation authorities over the Peace Preservation Law.