Japan’s formal surrender took effect aboard USS Missouri at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time on 2 September 1945. The surrender ceremony had begun shortly after 9:00 a.m. in Tokyo Bay, but the war was not officially concluded until the signing proceedings ended.
Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the Japanese government at 9:04 a.m., followed by General Yoshijirō Umezu for Japanese Imperial General Headquarters at 9:06 a.m. Douglas MacArthur then signed for the Allied powers, and representatives of the other Allied nations followed.
The precise time can be confused with the ceremony’s opening or with the separate 15 August announcement of Japan’s acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. August 15 marked the public announcement in Japan, while September 2 marked the formal legal surrender ceremony.
The ceremony lasted about 23 minutes and took place on the deck of the battleship USS Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay. Around 250 Allied ships were nearby, and the proceedings were broadcast internationally.