At what time did Japan’s formal surrender become effective on 2 September 1945?

Japan’s formal surrender became effective at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time on 2 September 1945.

The surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri began shortly after 9 a.m. in Tokyo Bay. The Japanese representatives signed first, followed by General Douglas MacArthur, Admiral Chester Nimitz, and representatives of the other Allied governments.

The document was signed during the ceremony, but contemporary accounts identify 9:25 a.m. as the time the proceedings concluded and the war officially ended. This precise time is different from 9:04 a.m., when Foreign Minister Mamoru Shigemitsu made the first Japanese signature.

The effective time also differs from the dates used for public celebrations. Emperor Hirohito’s surrender broadcast was heard on 15 August in Japan, while the formal legal ceremony took place on 2 September. Both moments are connected with V-J Day in different historical traditions.