Japan’s formal surrender ceremony began at approximately 9:00 a.m. Tokyo time on September 2, 1945.
The ceremony was held aboard USS Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay. Japanese representatives signed two copies of the Instrument of Surrender, one for the Allied powers and one for Japan. The event lasted only about 23 minutes, but it was carefully choreographed, with seating and signing positions specified in advance.
The ceremony followed the public announcement of surrender on August 15 in Japan. That earlier announcement ended Japan’s decision-making over whether to continue the war, while the September ceremony documented the surrender formally before Allied representatives.
The time is sometimes reported differently when converted to other time zones. Newspaper celebrations in the United States began after the August 14 announcement there, while the ceremony itself occurred on September 2 in Tokyo. More than 250 Allied ships were present in or near the bay.