During the Japanese Instrument of Surrender ceremony, USS Missouri hosted the signing in Tokyo Bay.
The ceremony took place on the deck of the American battleship on September 2, 1945. Japan’s representatives signed the document first, followed by representatives of the Allied powers. The ship was anchored in Tokyo Bay, close to Japan’s capital, making it a powerful setting for the formal end of the Pacific War.
USS Missouri was an Iowa-class battleship commissioned by the United States Navy in June 1944. It was also notable because President Harry S. Truman’s home state was Missouri, and the ship carried that state’s name. General Douglas MacArthur accepted Japan’s surrender on behalf of the Allied powers, while Admiral Chester Nimitz signed for the United States.
The ceremony lasted about 23 minutes. Although fighting had largely stopped after Japan accepted the Allied terms, the signed instrument made the surrender official and ended the war with Japan in a formal legal ceremony.