| This is the Instrument of Surrender that secured an unconditional surrender of the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters and all Japanese armed forces to the Allied Powers and ended World War II. It was signed on board the USS Missouri (BB-63) at Tokyo Bay, Japan by Imperial Japanese Army General Yoshijirō Umezu (January 4, 1882 – January 8, 1949), Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu (July 29, 1887 – January 26, 1957), assisted by Foreign Ministry representative Toshikazu Kase (January 12, 1903 – May 21, 2004) and United States Army General Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 – April 5, 1964), Supreme Commander, Allied Powers (SCAP). At the formal surrender aboard the Missouri, Japan was represented by Foreign Minister Mamou Shigemitsu and General Yoshijiro Umezu, whose credentials, in Japanese, are signed by Emperor Hirohito (April 29, 1901 – February 24, 1989) above the seal of the Empire. The Japanese furnished the English translations of these documents. Escorted by United States Army Lieutenant General Jonathan M. Wainwright (August 23, 1883 – September 2, 1953), the last Commanding Officer of Corregidor, and United Kingdom Royal Army Lieutenant General Arthur E. Percival (December 26, 1887 – January 31, 1966), General Officer Commanding at Singapore when it fell to the Japanese, both Prisoners of War for more than 3 years, General MacArthur signed the Instrument of Surrender as Supreme Commander Allied Powers. He was followed by United States Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (February 24, 1885 – February 20, 1966), who signed for the United States, by Kuomintang General Xu Yongchang (December 15, 1885 – July 12, 1959) for China, Royal Navy Admiral Sir Bruce A. Fraser (February 5, 1888 – February 12, 1981) for the United Kingdom, Red Army Lieutenant General Kuzma Derevyanko (November 14, 1904 – December 30, 1954) for the Soviet Union, Royal Australian Army General Sir Thomas Blamey (January 24, 1884 – May 27, 1951) for Australia, Royal Canadian Army Colonel Lawrence Moore Cosgrave (August 28, 1890 – July 28, 1971) for Canada, French Army General Jacques Le Clerc (November 22, 1902 – November 28, 1947) for France, Royal Dutch Navy Admiral Conrad E. L. Helfrich (October 11, 1886 – September 20, 1962) for the Netherlands, and Air Vice Marshall Leonard M. Isitt (July 27, 1891 – January 21, 1976) for New Zealand. When his turn to sign came, Cosgrave inadvertently placed his signature 1 line too low on the Japanese copy of the documents, signing on the line for the French Republic. This was attributed to his being blind in 1 eye, through an injury sustained in the 1st World War. The problem was easily corrected by United States Army Lieutenant General Richard K. Sutherland (November 27, 1893 – June 25, 1966), who crossed out “French Republic” and wrote in “Dominion of Canada” under Cosgrave’s signature, then made similar corrections throughout the document. Air Vice-Marshal Isitt, the New Zealand representative, was left without a blank to sign and had to have his name and country written in at the bottom margin of the document. The Japanese delegates accepted the corrected copy. Cosgrave did not repeat this error on the Allied copy. Cosgrave knew Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu, who signed the instrument of surrender on behalf of the Japanese Emperor and Government, from their diplomatic days in Shanghai. Reportedly, their eyes met when Mamoru Shigemitsu boarded USS Missouri. They both smiled with mutual recognition before Shigemitsu once more became stern and serious. They met each other again a number of years later in London at the Coronation of Elizabeth II (April 21, 1926 – September 8, 2022) in 1953. In a rescript, or proclamation, signed by the Emperor above his seal, Hirohito announced the surrender and commanded the Japanese to lay down their arms and to carry out the provisions of the instrument of surrender. The Japanese also furnished the English translation of this document. These 4 documents and the translations were flown from General MacArthur’s headquarters to Washington. There, on September 7, at ceremonies in the White House, they were presented by Secretary of War Stimson to President Truman, who announced that the documents were to be placed on exhibition in the National Archives, where the German surrender papers were already on display. The State Department, which assumed custody of the records, turned them over to the National Archives. On Wednesday morning, September 12, at 1100 Hours, General Wainwright opened the exhibition of these documents. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1576.jpg |
| Image Size | 7.83 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 12607 x 8968 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | Joint Chiefs of Staff |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | September 2, 1945 |
| Location | |
| City | Tokyo Bay |
| State or Province | Tokyo |
| Country | Japan |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 00534 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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