The Japanese surrender ceremony officially concluded at 9:25 a.m. on 2 September 1945.
The proceedings took place aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Japanese representatives signed first, followed by Douglas MacArthur for the Allied powers and representatives of the participating Allied nations. After the final signatures and brief closing remarks, MacArthur ended the ceremony at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time.
The ceremony itself lasted roughly 23 minutes, beginning shortly after 9 a.m. The precise times are recorded in accounts of the signing and help distinguish the event from other important moments in the surrender sequence.
Several nearby times are often confused with this conclusion. The atomic bomb was detonated over Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. on 6 August, while Hirohito’s surrender broadcast was transmitted at noon in Japan on 15 August. Neither time refers to the formal signing ceremony’s end.