On what date did Japan sign the Japanese Instrument of Surrender in 1945?

Japan signed the Japanese Instrument of Surrender on 2 September 1945.

The ceremony took place aboard USS Missouri, anchored in Tokyo Bay. Japanese representatives Mamoru Shigemitsu and Yoshijirō Umezu signed for the Japanese government and Imperial General Headquarters. Allied representatives then signed for their governments.

The document formalized Japan’s capitulation and ended the Second World War. The ceremony began shortly after 9:00 a.m. Japan Standard Time and concluded at 9:25 a.m. The date is often called Victory over Japan Day, or V-J Day, although different countries use different dates for public observances.

A common mix-up is 15 August 1945, when Emperor Hirohito’s recorded surrender message was broadcast to the Japanese public. That announcement communicated Japan’s acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration, but the formal legal signing occurred on 2 September.