Yoshijirō Umezu was the second Japanese signatory on the Instrument of Surrender.
Umezu signed at about 9:06 a.m. on September 2, 1945, shortly after Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu. He signed on behalf of Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, giving the military’s formal signature to the capitulation.
At the time, Umezu was Chief of the Army General Staff. He had opposed surrender during the final wartime debates, but Emperor Hirohito personally instructed him to attend the ceremony and sign the document.
Other Japanese officials were present, including Foreign Ministry and military representatives, but they did not sign the main instrument. The distinction matters because photographs often show a larger delegation, while only Shigemitsu and Umezu placed Japanese signatures on the formal agreement.