Japan’s surrender ceremony officially ended World War II at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time on 2 September 1945.
The ceremony began shortly after 9:00 a.m. aboard USS Missouri, which was anchored in Tokyo Bay. Japanese representatives signed the Instrument of Surrender first, followed by General Douglas MacArthur and representatives of the Allied governments.
The document took effect at 9:25 a.m. JST, marking the official end of hostilities between Japan and the Allied powers. This precise time is different from the public announcement of Japan’s surrender, which Emperor Hirohito’s recorded radio address announced on 15 August.
That distinction explains why different dates and times appear in accounts of V-J Day. The August announcement told the Japanese people that the government had accepted the Allied terms. The September ceremony completed the formal legal and military process. The event lasted only about 23 minutes and was broadcast internationally from the battleship’s deck.