General Douglas MacArthur opened Japan's formal surrender ceremony on USS Missouri at 9:02 a.m. Japan Standard Time.
The ceremony took place on 2 September 1945 in Tokyo Bay. Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz had boarded shortly after 8 a.m., MacArthur arrived at 8:43, and the Japanese representatives came aboard at 8:56. MacArthur then stepped before the microphones at 9:02.
The proceedings lasted approximately 23 minutes. Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the Japanese government, followed by Yoshijirō Umezu for Imperial General Headquarters. MacArthur and the Allied representatives signed afterward, and the ceremony concluded at approximately 9:25 a.m.
The precise times help distinguish the formal surrender from the earlier announcement of Japan's decision. Hirohito's broadcast had been transmitted on 15 August, but the legal and ceremonial surrender occurred more than two weeks later aboard the battleship.