At what exact time did Japan's surrender take effect on September 2, 1945?
Answer
9:25 a.m. JST
Japan's surrender took effect at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time on September 2, 1945.
The ceremony aboard USS Missouri began shortly after 9 a.m. in Tokyo Bay. General Douglas MacArthur opened the proceedings at 9:02, and the Japanese and Allied representatives signed the Instrument of Surrender during the following minutes.
The document was therefore more than a symbolic announcement: it specified the formal capitulation of Japan and took effect at a precise time. The event ended the organized hostilities of World War II between Japan and the Allied powers.
The exact time is sometimes confused with the start of the ceremony or with the August 15 radio announcement. Those were separate milestones. August 15 marked Japan's public acceptance of the Allied terms, while 9:25 a.m. on September 2 marked the completion and effectiveness of the signed instrument.