The USS Missouri hosted Japan’s 1945 surrender ceremony in Tokyo Bay.
Tokyo Bay was strategically important because it provided access to Japan’s capital and major naval facilities. Allied ships entered the bay in late August 1945 as occupation preparations began, and the Missouri anchored there for the formal signing on September 2.
The ceremony occurred on the battleship’s deck, with representatives of Japan and nine Allied nations present. Tokyo Bay was surrounded by a large Allied fleet, reflecting the military power that had forced Japan to accept the surrender terms.
Tokyo Bay is sometimes confused with nearby Sagami Bay, where Allied naval forces also operated during the approach to Japan. The formal surrender document, however, identifies Tokyo Bay as the signing location. The setting also carried symbolic importance: the ceremony happened close to Tokyo, the political center of the Japanese Empire, only weeks after the emperor’s surrender broadcast.