The 1945 surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri began at 9:02 a.m. Japan Standard Time.
General Douglas MacArthur stepped before the microphones at 9:02 a.m. on 2 September 1945 and opened the ceremony. The event was held on Missouri's deck in Tokyo Bay, where Japanese delegates and Allied representatives gathered for the signing of the Instrument of Surrender.
The timing matters because several nearby times describe different moments. Japanese Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu signed first at about 9:04 a.m. General MacArthur signed for the Allied powers at about 9:08 a.m., and the ceremony ended at approximately 9:25 a.m. The entire public proceedings lasted roughly 23 minutes.
The start time is also distinct from the date and time of Hirohito's earlier radio announcement. That broadcast took place at noon on 15 August, while the shipboard ceremony occurred more than two weeks later. The two events are both associated with V-J Day, but they represent the announcement and the formal signing, respectively.