The September 2, 1945 surrender ceremony officially concluded at 9:25 a.m. Japan Standard Time.
The signing began shortly after 9:00 a.m. aboard USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the Japanese government, followed by General Yoshijirō Umezu for Imperial General Headquarters. General Douglas MacArthur and representatives of the Allied powers then signed in sequence.
The ceremony itself lasted approximately 23 minutes. The 9:25 a.m. conclusion marks the point at which the formal proceedings ended and the surrender became effective in the ceremony’s historical record. This precise time is distinct from the earlier announcement dates associated with V-J Day.
Hirohito’s radio announcement had been broadcast in Japan on August 15, while Allied audiences heard news of the surrender according to their local time zones on August 14 or 15. The September ceremony therefore provided the formal endpoint, while the earlier broadcast created the public celebration commonly linked with V-J Day.