USS Missouri lay in Tokyo Bay when Japanese representatives signed the surrender instrument in 1945.
Tokyo Bay provided a broad anchorage close to Japan’s capital and was accessible to the large Allied fleet assembled after the fighting ended. The bay lies on Japan’s eastern coast and opens into the Pacific Ocean, making it an important maritime approach to Tokyo.
The September 2 ceremony was conducted aboard Missouri rather than at a government building on land. Around 250 Allied ships were present in or near the bay, demonstrating the scale of Allied naval power at the end of the Pacific War. The Japanese delegation traveled from Tokyo to Yokohama before boarding a launch for the battleship.
Tokyo Bay is sometimes confused with the location of Japan’s surrender announcement. Hirohito’s radio address was recorded in Tokyo and broadcast across Japan on August 15, while the formal document was signed aboard Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2. The setting also allowed the ceremony to remain under Allied military control during the opening phase of the occupation.