Two separate surrender instruments were signed aboard USS Missouri in 1945.
The documents recorded the same capitulation but were prepared for different recipients. One was a leather-bound copy intended for the Allied powers, while the other was a canvas-backed copy intended for Japan. Representatives signed both during the ceremony on September 2.
The existence of two copies is sometimes overlooked because histories commonly refer to the event in the singular as the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender. The phrase describes the agreement itself, while the ceremony involved two physical versions of that agreement.
The Japanese signatures came first: Mamoru Shigemitsu signed for the government and Yoshijiro Umezu for Imperial General Headquarters. Allied representatives then added their signatures. The ceremony lasted 23 minutes and took place on the deck of USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay.