Who was the second Japanese signatory of the 1945 Instrument of Surrender?

Yoshijirō Umezu was the second Japanese signatory of the 1945 Instrument of Surrender. He signed on behalf of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters during the ceremony aboard USS Missouri on 2 September 1945.

Umezu was the Chief of the Army General Staff, making him the senior military representative in Japan’s delegation. He signed at approximately 9:06 a.m. Japan Standard Time, shortly after Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the Emperor and the Japanese government.

The order of the signatures reflected the distinction between Japan’s civilian government and its military command. Shigemitsu represented the government, while Umezu represented Imperial General Headquarters. This is why Umezu’s role is sometimes overlooked when accounts mention only the first Japanese signer.

Umezu later became one of the Japanese leaders tried at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East. He was convicted of war crimes and died in prison in 1949. His signature on the surrender instrument remains one of the ceremony’s most recognizable historical details.