Japan formally signed its 1945 surrender aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.
The ceremony took place on 2 September 1945, around 9 a.m. Tokyo time. Japanese representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender, officially ending hostilities with the Allied powers after six years of World War II in Europe and the Pacific.
Tokyo Bay was chosen because it placed the ceremony close to Japan’s capital while allowing a large Allied naval presence. About 250 Allied vessels were nearby, including American, British, Australian, and Dutch ships. The battleship Missouri served as the central platform for the event.
The ceremony is sometimes confused with the earlier surrender announcement. Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s acceptance of the Allied terms in a radio broadcast on 15 August, but the legal signing occurred weeks later in Tokyo Bay. That distinction explains why V-J Day can refer to different dates in different countries.