Japan formally surrendered in World War II on September 2, 1945, by signing the Japanese Instrument of Surrender.
The ceremony took place aboard the American battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. Japanese representatives signed the document before representatives of the United States, China, the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
August 15 is also an important date because Emperor Hirohito's radio announcement that Japan accepted the Allied terms was broadcast in Japan that day. However, the legal and ceremonial completion of the surrender came on September 2, when the instrument was signed. This distinction explains why sources sometimes use different dates when discussing Japan's defeat or V-J Day.
The signing ceremony lasted only about 23 minutes, but it formally ended hostilities between Japan and the Allied powers. Regional surrender documents followed in several parts of Asia during September 1945.