Japan's formal surrender ceremony aboard USS Missouri ended at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time on September 2, 1945.
The proceedings began shortly after 9 a.m. in Tokyo Bay. The Japanese representatives signed first, followed by General Douglas MacArthur and representatives of the United States and eight other Allied powers. MacArthur then delivered brief concluding remarks and closed the ceremony.
The time is significant because the ceremony was more than a symbolic gathering: it marked the formal conclusion of the surrender process between Japan and the Allied governments. The event itself lasted 23 minutes, from the opening of the proceedings to the closing remarks.
This time should not be confused with other important times connected to Japan's surrender. Hirohito's surrender broadcast was transmitted at noon on August 15, while the atomic bomb was detonated over Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. on August 6. Those events preceded the signing by weeks and were not part of the ceremony aboard Missouri.