Japan’s formal surrender ceremony took place in Tokyo Bay aboard USS Missouri.
The ceremony was held on September 2, 1945, shortly after 9 a.m. Japan Standard Time. Japanese representatives signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on Missouri’s deck, where Allied leaders and representatives watched the proceedings. The document took effect at 9:25 a.m. local time.
Tokyo Bay was chosen because it provided a secure anchorage close to Japan’s capital while allowing a large Allied fleet to demonstrate control of the surrounding waters. Missouri had entered the bay on August 29 after preparations for the occupation had begun. The fleet gathered there included ships from several Allied nations.
Tokyo Bay is sometimes confused with Sagami Bay, another important body of water near Tokyo and the planned landing area for part of Operation Coronet. The surrender ceremony itself was not held in Sagami Bay, on land in Tokyo, or at the Imperial Palace. It was conducted aboard an American battleship in Tokyo Bay.